Overview

• Four suspects were detained on June 13 after investigators uncovered shimming modules hidden in a Vitry-sur-Seine gas station payment slot.
• Police recovered multiple concealed shimmers and approximately €9 000 in stolen cash during the operation.
• Shimming devices intercept EMV chip-to-terminal communications without disrupting card use, enabling fabrication of counterfeit cards.
• Banque de France data show shimming losses fell to €36 000 in 2023 from €50 000 in 2022, remaining a small fraction of total card fraud.
• Banks and consumer groups are promoting visual terminal checks, contactless or tokenized payments and real-time account monitoring to combat evolving card-fraud threats.