State leaders, police and grocery stores launched a new crackdown on credit card "skimming" on Wednesday. That's where thieves implant a device on a credit card reader to steal your money.

Retailers are already taking matters into their own hands – and getting results.

At Lily's Market in Weston, customers are aware of the risk every time they use pull out the plastic.

"I haven't so far had anything happen," said Roberta Ashton, of Westport. "But you hear about it so often that, of course, you worry about it."

But the store is being proactive. Cashiers are trained to spot suspicious devices throughout the day.

"They turn [the card reader] around the whole way, and then they turn it upside down to make sure that there's nothing there," said Lily's owner Mark McWhirter.

Cashier vigilance is part of a statewide crackdown announced Wednesday. Over the last six weeks, grocers across Connecticut have placed unique markings on their credit card readers, to know if they've been replaced or tampered with. Surveillance cameras also watch for people tampering with the machines.

The effort is already paying off.

"Just in the last four of five weeks, we have discovered at least 12 to 15 incidents before they've happened," said Connecticut Food Association president Wayne Pesce.

Victims are often the most vulnerable customers. Skimmers stole $3.7 million in SNAP benefits from 2023-24, according to the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

"Sometimes the criminals – they wait until the benefits are loaded during the first few days of the month," said DSS commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves. "They know that, that's when we place benefits on cards. And they will drain accounts as soon as those benefits are deposited."

If your benefits are stolen, you can file a claim for a replacement. But you can only do it twice per year. Barton Reeves said 7,513 stolen benefit applications were processed last year.

"So those are hundreds and hundreds of families who have had the unfortunate experience of going up to pay, and attempting to pay, for their groceries, and finding that all of their benefits have been stolen from their card," she said.

There are ways to fight back. Look for sticky keys or mismatched colors on a credit card reader. Wiggle the device and check if the slot looks altered.

The safest move is tap-to-pay with your phone wallet or a card – where you skip the card reader altogether. And always keep a close eye on your account activity.

"We make a point of going through all of our receipts and everything religiously, to make sure that nothing has happened," said Ashton.

In addition to notifying a store manager and local or state police whenever the presence of a skimming device is suspected, consumers who become aware of any scam activity can report it to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection by filing a complaint online using the "File A Complaint" tool.