A routine grocery checkout can take just seconds—but that’s all it takes for criminals to install a skimming device. Westlake Police recently experienced this firsthand during an investigation that led to the arrest of two men involved in a card-skimming scheme at a local grocery store.
On March 27, officers detained two suspects, both identified as Eastern European nationals. One of the individuals was already wanted for a crime overseas. “People who practice this type of craft are very good at what they do,” said Westlake Police Captain Jerry Vogel. “Unfortunately, they don’t use their skills for good.”
Card skimmers are devices placed over payment terminals to secretly collect card data. Organized crime groups have increasingly targeted recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), whose benefit cards lack advanced security features such as chip technology and tap-to-pay options.
The case unfolded when the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the SNAP program, alerted Westlake Police on March 26 about a skimmer discovered at the Giant Eagle Market District store on Detroit Road in Crocker Park. Store employees had found the device and reported it to authorities.
Surveillance footage from March 22 revealed two men at the checkout, with one distracting the cashier while the other installed the skimmer. Investigators used security video and license plate readers to track the suspects’ vehicle—an Acura SUV with Illinois plates. Officers kept watch and, on March 27, traffic cameras spotted the same SUV. Detectives followed the vehicle to a nearby parking lot and arrested two men behaving suspiciously.
“They gave us some fake names at first,” Vogel said. “They even presented a fake UK identification. Turns out, once we took fingerprints … working with the United States Secret Service, we figured out that one man was from Romania and one was from Croatia.” Authorities identified the suspects as Petru-Calin Lazar and Istvan Szabo. Both were charged in Rocky River Municipal Court with possessing criminal tools and aiding in a crime.
According to police, Lazar and Szabo were not the ones who originally installed the skimmer, but video evidence from March 27 showed Lazar attempting to retrieve data from the device before officers intervened.
Modern skimmers are equipped with Bluetooth technology, allowing criminals to wirelessly extract stolen card data and PINs. If left undetected, these devices can collect financial information from hundreds of shoppers. “It’s your classic organized crime,” Vogel explained. “There’s a hierarchy of who does what in this criminal organization. … There’s probably another part of the organization that sells the information that they glean off the skimmer.”
Authorities believe the suspects were apprehended before any data was stolen. “We’re not aware of anyone’s information that was compromised in this case,” Vogel said. “Granted, we don’t know what happened between the 22nd and the 25th, when the skimmer was actually detected. We don’t know if anyone came to get any information in that time period. We’re hoping not. The skimmer will be analyzed to try to figure that type of information out.”
The U.S. Secret Service, which investigates financial crimes, is working with a task force focused on skimming, money laundering, and SNAP fraud. The Ohio Investigative Unit leads SNAP-related investigations across the state.
Although skimming devices have surfaced in Westlake before, arrests in such cases are rare. This particular bust was even more significant due to Lazar’s international criminal history—he was wanted by INTERPOL for a crime committed in Romania. Both men were turned over to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for deportation.
Vogel credited technological advancements and interagency cooperation for the successful arrests. “Much different than 25 years ago, when I first started,” he said. “We have license plate readers. We have surveillance cameras everywhere. We have body cams. We have dash cams. … It really does help to combat this type of crime.” He also praised the store employees for their vigilance in detecting the skimmer and reporting it promptly.
Giant Eagle declined to make the employee who discovered the device available for interviews. However, in a statement, a company spokesperson reaffirmed the grocery chain’s commitment to protecting customers’ personal information. “We have multiple preventative and detective security practices in place intended to help in the discovery of skimmer devices, including frequent checks of all register PIN pads,” the statement read. “Customers are encouraged to utilize tap-to-pay functionality whenever possible to further increase payment security.”