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Information security specialists at a large American retailer, Target, which operates a network of retail stores operating under the Target and SuperTarget brands, have created and patented the EasySweep tool, which can be used to detect skimmers in payment terminals.
From 2021 to 2022, the number of skimmers detected in the US increased by 368%, with more than 161,000 cards being stolen every year. As skimming devices become more common and harder to detect, Target has begun to take on the challenge of detecting skimmers to protect its customers.
Initially, it was assumed that it was possible to detect intruder devices using electronic devices, since some of the skimmers use Bluetooth, but this idea was soon abandoned in favor of a simpler option and physical search for fraudulent devices.
Back in 2020, having studied the structure of many skimmers, and even created a skimmer mock-up on a 3D printer, Target came up with EasySweep. This solution is a simple plastic form that any Target store employee can insert into a card slot on a payment terminal. If the EasySweep is fully inserted, the terminal is “clean”, and if it fails to insert, the terminal may have a skimmer installed.
“After development, I launched a small test in partnership with the Target Store and Asset Protections teams. The results were incredible. The time to check each store has been reduced from one to two hours (previously requiring a thorough physical inspection of each of the 20-30 payment terminals) to 15 minutes. I also tested EasySweep with all known skimmers for Verifone MX925 and MX915 payment terminals and found that the tool is 100% accurate,” says EasySweep developer Terry Woodman on the company blog.
Now Target is offering EasySweep to other retailers as well. To do this, the company is ready to provide everyone with free access to the Step CAD file, just send a request to easysweep@target.com from a corporate email.
The EasySweep currently reportedly works with Verifone MX925 and MX915 terminals, as well as Ingenico Lane 5000, 7000 and 8000 terminals. One EasySweep costs only a dollar to make, and it can easily be adapted to work with any other payment terminal other than those listed.
From 2021 to 2022, the number of skimmers detected in the US increased by 368%, with more than 161,000 cards being stolen every year. As skimming devices become more common and harder to detect, Target has begun to take on the challenge of detecting skimmers to protect its customers.
Initially, it was assumed that it was possible to detect intruder devices using electronic devices, since some of the skimmers use Bluetooth, but this idea was soon abandoned in favor of a simpler option and physical search for fraudulent devices.
Back in 2020, having studied the structure of many skimmers, and even created a skimmer mock-up on a 3D printer, Target came up with EasySweep. This solution is a simple plastic form that any Target store employee can insert into a card slot on a payment terminal. If the EasySweep is fully inserted, the terminal is “clean”, and if it fails to insert, the terminal may have a skimmer installed.
“After development, I launched a small test in partnership with the Target Store and Asset Protections teams. The results were incredible. The time to check each store has been reduced from one to two hours (previously requiring a thorough physical inspection of each of the 20-30 payment terminals) to 15 minutes. I also tested EasySweep with all known skimmers for Verifone MX925 and MX915 payment terminals and found that the tool is 100% accurate,” says EasySweep developer Terry Woodman on the company blog.
Now Target is offering EasySweep to other retailers as well. To do this, the company is ready to provide everyone with free access to the Step CAD file, just send a request to easysweep@target.com from a corporate email.
The EasySweep currently reportedly works with Verifone MX925 and MX915 terminals, as well as Ingenico Lane 5000, 7000 and 8000 terminals. One EasySweep costs only a dollar to make, and it can easily be adapted to work with any other payment terminal other than those listed.
