Skimming Device Discovered At Popular Grafton Hardware Store

GRAFTON, MA — Koopman Lumber is warning local customers that their debit or credit cards may have been compromised in September due to a skimming device installed at one cash register.

The company alerted customers about the device this week, saying that the skimmer was found at a register close to the exit door. The skimmer was likely only in place for a short time.

"We believe this unit to have been in place for a very limited amount of time," the company said in a message to customers this week. "With all due caution, we want o reach out to our customers who shopped at the Grafton Koopman Lumber and checked out at the main cashier next to the front doors in the month of September."

In general, skimming devices can be inserted into credit card terminals to intercept financial data. Skimmers can transmit data like card and pin numbers, allowing thieves to uses the cards remotely.

Koopman Lumber operates 10 stores across Massachusetts — including nearby in Uxbridge, Whitinsville and Milford — but the company has not detected skimmers at those other stores.