Two individuals, Marcus Covaci, 20, and an unnamed 16-year-old, are in custody for allegedly placing card skimmers at several Walmart locations in Central Pennsylvania. The skimmers were found on self-checkout registers in York and Adams Counties, designed to steal credit and debit card information by replacing the card panel on the machines.
According to York Dispatch, Covaci and his accomplice were apprehended after a Walmart employee in Newberry Township noticed suspicious behavior and alerted the manager. Surveillance footage confirmed the installation of the devices, leading to their arrest by Pennsylvania State Police in Gettysburg on February 5.
Covaci faces multiple felony charges, including conspiracy to use a device to record encoded information and unauthorized access. He also faces misdemeanor charges such as corruption of minors and theft by deception. The juvenile has been placed in a detention facility.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled for March 19 in Adams County and March 20 in West Manheim Township. Authorities urge anyone who suspects they may have been affected to contact Officer Christopher Roosen with West Manheim Police.
WGAL reports that the skimmers targeted the magnetic stripe on cards, which transmits the same information repeatedly, unlike the more secure chip technology that generates a unique code for each transaction.