--- title: "Who’s Really Hurt the Most by Card Skimmers? - Blogs on IT Support and Cybersecurity for Small Business" description: "While card skimming arguably hurts everyone who uses a modified card reader, some people are specifically impacted more severely. Find out who they are, and why this happens." url: "https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/whos-really-hurt-the-most-by-card-skimmers" date: "2026-06-07T04:36:11+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- ## Blogs on IT Support and Cybersecurity for Small Business Insights on cybersecurity, AI, and IT strategy to help business leaders reduce risk, improve performance, and make better technology decisions. [ Categories ](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/categories "Categories") [ Tags ](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/tags "Tags") [ Categories: All Categories ](https://colemantechnologies.com/javascript:void(0); "Categories") Search...Suggested keywords [ x ](https://colemantechnologies.com/javascript:void(0);) # Who’s Really Hurt the Most by Card Skimmers? [Coleman Technologies Blog](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/categories/blog) [Security](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/categories/security) [Coleman Technologies Admin](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/blogger/darren-coleman) Friday, 18 November 2022 [ ![Who’s Really Hurt the Most by Card Skimmers?](//colemantechnologies.com/images/easyblog_shared/November_2022/11-18-22/b2ap3_large_ATMscam_317765791_400.jpg) ](//colemantechnologies.com/images/easyblog_shared/November_2022/11-18-22/ATMscam_317765791_400.jpg "Who’s Really Hurt the Most by Card Skimmers?") It probably isn’t a question you’ve put much thought to, but tell me: who do you think feels the greatest impact from card skimming schemes, where a payment card’s data is captured so a cybercriminal can make use of the card’s associated account? While it isn’t a good situation for anyone, some are impacted more than others. Unfortunately, card skimming is even worse for those who rely on prepaid cards provided by the state for food assistance. Let’s consider why this is. ## Skimming Losses are Worse for Those Receiving Assistance Authorities across the country have taken note of increased losses associated with those receiving assistance through the Electronic Benefits Transfer (better known as EBT), which permits participants with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to pay for their food purchases. When a SNAP card is used, the associated EBT account is debited so the store is reimbursed for the purchase. In this way, the EBT card is effectively a debit card—they even have an associated PIN and can be used to withdraw money from an ATM. However, EBT cards largely lack the protections that most other payment cards have, like the more secure smart chip technology that makes these cards harder to duplicate, or the fraud protections that other payment cards have. If SNAP funds are fraudulently stolen and spent, the rightful recipient has little recourse to take. They’re effectively out that money…money that they need as a member of the program. It isn’t exactly news that criminals and scammers have found ways to steal card data, either…and they’re getting better at doing it surreptitiously. The devices used to “skim” data off of payment cards (cleverly referred to as “skimmers”) can now be hidden inside cash machines, or camouflaged to look like just another part of the device. This makes it more challenging to spot these skimmers, putting more people at risk in general of having their data cloned and used to create additional copies of payment cards that the thief can use or sell. ## What Can Be Done? Well, short of more states implementing improved security measures into their EBT cards—eliminating the magnetic strip and replacing it with the modern chips that other card types use—it really falls to the user and the business where an ATM or other card-reading device is located to prevent these issues. Keep an eye out for people trying to tamper with these machines, and discontinue its use if you can until it has been fully checked by a professional for card skimming devices. As a customer, give any card reader a close look before you swipe to see if it looks at all unusual. COMPANYNAME is here to help keep your business more secure and efficient, both for your benefit and that of your clients and customers. Find out how we can help via our managed services by calling PHONENUMBER. [ ](https://colemantechnologies.com/javascript:void(0);) [ ](https://colemantechnologies.com/javascript:void(0);) [ ](https://colemantechnologies.com/javascript:void(0);) Tags: [Gadgets](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/tags/gadgets) [Privacy](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/tags/privacy) [Hackers](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/tags/hackers) [×](https://colemantechnologies.com/javascript:void(0);) Stay Informed When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them. Your Name E-mail Address [ Boosting Employee Morale Isn’t as Hard as You Thin... ](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/boosting-employee-morale-isn-t-as-hard-as-you-think) [ These Link Checking Tools Might Save Your Bacon ](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/these-link-checking-tools-might-save-your-bacon) About the author [ ![Coleman Technologies Admin](https://colemantechnologies.com/media/com_easyblog/images/avatars/author.png) ](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/blogger/darren-coleman) [Coleman Technologies Admin](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/blogger/darren-coleman) [ ](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/blogger/darren-coleman) Author's recent posts [More posts from author](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/blogger/darren-coleman) [ Tuesday, 05 May 2026 Darren Coleman Featured in Boss Today on AI Literacy and Human Judgment ](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/darren-coleman-bosstoday-ai-literacy) [ Monday, 06 April 2026 How Cloud IT Services Are Transforming Business Continuity ](https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/how-cloud-it-services-are-transforming-business-continuity) [ Monday, 06 April 2026 Darren Coleman Featured in USAWire on Why Businesses Need an AI Strategy ](https://colemantechnologies.com/news-a-events/darren-coleman-usawire-ai-strategy) ## Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://colemantechnologies.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Blog", "item": "https://colemantechnologies.com/blog" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Coleman Technologies Admin", "item": "https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/blogger/darren-coleman" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Who’s Really Hurt the Most by Card Skimmers?", "item": "https://colemantechnologies.com/blog/whos-really-hurt-the-most-by-card-skimmers" } ] } ```