


Valparaiso Police are investigating the use of card skimming devices being installed at point-of-sale machines at two businesses on Saturday.
Police have identified a suspect and vehicle but the suspect’s name will not be made public until formal charges are filed, police said in a Facebook post.
“Our investigators will continue to work this investigation closely with federal partners, as it appears the suspect’s actions were not isolated to just the Valparaiso area,” police said.
Police, who said they only release information about a specific business if it’s necessary, said Beef Mart previously publicized their encounter with a suspect who installed a card-skimming device, and Sunrise Health Foods asked police to release information about their case.
Beef Mart said in a Facebook post that around 1:30 p.m. March 22, “a bad actor surreptitiously placed a credit card skimmer onto our machine.” The device was discovered at approximately 3:10 p.m. The butcher store recommended that customers who used their credit card during that time monitor it for suspicious activity. The shop notified police.
The skimming device at Sunrise Health Foods was installed at 1:14 p.m. and staff discovered it six minutes later at 1:20 p.m. They promptly removed it and notified the Valparaiso Police immediately, police said.
“Thank you to our local businesses for identifying these devices so quickly and for notifying us. We would also like to remind all businesses to check their credit card machines regularly,” police said. “If a suspicious device is located, please contact us immediately to file a report.”