WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (KWQC) — HyVee officials are warning customers that credit card skimmers were found in a few of their stores.
Officials say HyVee security is working with Altoona, West Des Moines and Des Moines police departments to investigate three separate incidents where a skimmer, a device used to obtain debit card information, was found on an ATM at three different Hy-Vee stores.
Officials say the first skimmer was found Saturday evening, November 12, 2016 at the Altoona Hy-Vee, located at 108 Eighth St. SW. They say a customer reported problems using the ATM and noticed a device on the machine that looked suspicious. Hy-Vee employees immediately reported the incident to the Altoona Police Department. Within the hour, Hy-Vee security began checking all of the other ATMs at Hy-Vee stores in the Des Moines area and notifying local store directors about the incident.
Late Saturday night, two other skimmers were discovered: one on an ATM inside the Valley West Hy-Vee, located at 1700 Valley West Drive in West Des Moines, and the other on an ATM inside the Southridge Hy-Vee, located at 1107 E. Army Post Road in Des Moines. HyVee officials say the incidents are currently under investigation by the Altoona, West Des Moines and Des Moines police departments.
Officials say debit and credit card transactions at the stores’ cash registers were not impacted. The suspicious activity was limited to transactions at the three ATMs. Also, initial findings show the device was on the ATMs in West Des Moines and Des Moines for less than 12 hours before being removed.
Investigators are continuing to gather details to determine how long the skimmer was on the ATM in Altoona. The impacted ATMs are owned and operated by Hy-Vee.
“While we believe the number of people impacted by these incidents is very limited, it is important for us to be proactive so our customers can protect themselves against any possible fraudulent activity,” said Matt Ludwig, executive vice president and chief information officer at Hy-Vee.
“In the upcoming days, we will work with banking institutions to notify the few customers who made a transaction at the three impacted ATMs. At this time, all of the ATMs at Hy-Vee stores in the Des Moines area have been inspected and no additional skimmers have been found.”
HyVee officials say customers who used an ATM at one of the three Hy-Vee stores should monitor their bank accounts for any suspicious activity and contact their bank with any questions.
