The Postal Service wants employees to keep an eye out for skimmers — small, hard-to-detect devices that fraudsters place over credit card readers to steal information.
USPS recently discovered a skimmer attached to a payment device at a retail site in Great Lakes Area’s Gateway District. The skimmer was placed on top of the PIN pad and card reader, making it difficult to detect.
The Postal Inspection Service is investigating the incident.
To prevent tampering with postal equipment, employees are required to perform and log payment device inspections daily.
If a customer experiences difficulty inserting a chip card into a machine — for example, if the customer must use more force than usual — the employee should inspect the device for a skimmer or evidence of other tampering.
Employees who find a skimmer or evidence of tampering should call the Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455. Don’t use the device to process any customer payments or allow anyone — including the customer or another employee — to touch the device until the Inspection Service has provided instructions.
Additionally, employees must complete the Protecting Payment Cardholder Industry (PCI): Retail training course through the HERO learning portal before the Jan. 20 deadline.
Employees who miss the deadline will have their access to retail systems and applications revoked. New employees must complete the training within 35 days of their hiring date.
The Retail and Customer Service Operations Blue page has the Standard Work Instructions on performing daily payment device inspections, as well as additional documentation on payment terminal management.