SkimTrace is a continuous detection network that identifies unauthorized payment card skimmer devices at fuel dispensers and retail terminals — giving operators and law enforcement the evidence to act.
Payment card skimmers operate silently inside terminals for hours, days, or weeks. By the time a victim notices fraud, the criminal is long gone.
Annual U.S. losses across fuel pumps, ATMs, and retail payment terminals exceed $8 billion. FICO data confirms skimming attacks surged 90% in 2025. EBT cardholders — among the most financially vulnerable — are disproportionately targeted.
First-generation detection tools rely on known device names and registered hardware identifiers. Criminals have adapted. Modern skimmers use renamed firmware, unregistered hardware, and dual-identity configurations that pass every published whitelist — invisibly.
Field operations in the Chattanooga corridor documented a single criminal network operating simultaneously across eleven or more fuel dispenser locations — rotating device identities between installations and returning to re-deploy after detection events.
The average skimmer remains in place for days before discovery — if it's ever found at all. Every hour of operation represents hundreds of compromised card transactions. The window between installation and harvest is where damage occurs.
SkimTrace operates entirely in the background. No dedicated inspectors. No customer disruption. No visibility to bad actors.
Every payment surface is catalogued — fuel dispensers, car wash terminals, air pump readers, ATMs, retail POS terminals, parking kiosks, transit fare systems, and EBT terminals. A unique security profile is established for each. Pre-enrollment analysis catches installations already in place.
Enrolled site personnel carry the detection capability during normal job duties. Monitoring runs silently in the background. No dedicated effort required. No data exposed to employees. All analysis runs server-side.
Every candidate alert passes two independent analyst reviews before any action is taken. Terminal-specific validation confirms location. Law enforcement receives a complete evidence package — ready to act.
Every detection listed below was confirmed through independent multi-visit analysis and proprietary location confirmation. Law enforcement has been engaged at each confirmed location.
| Location | Terminal | Confirmed By | Law Enforcement | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Location A
Chattanooga, TN
|
Car wash · Air pump · Pump 14 | Multi-terminal · active | CPD · Secret Service | ACTIVE |
|
Location B
Ooltewah, TN
|
Pump 5 face | Re-deployment detected | CPD | REPORTED |
|
Location C
Cleveland, TN
|
Pump 1 — Island 2 | Cross-day persistence | Cleveland PD · Cyber | REPORTED |
|
Location D
East Ridge, TN
|
Left streetside pumps | Dual identity confirmed | East Ridge PD | REMOVED |
|
Location E
Chattanooga, TN
|
Exterior pump canopy | Firmware match · 4-session cross-day | Pending | CONFIRMED |
|
Location F
Ringgold, GA
|
Fuel dispenser | Criminal network device confirmed | Pending | CONFIRMED |
|
Location G
Chattanooga, TN
|
ATM · Fuel dispenser | MAC-encoding naming pattern | Under Review | SUSPECTED |
|
Location H
Chattanooga, TN
|
Fuel dispenser | Criminal network device · single visit | Under Review | SUSPECTED |
|
Location I
Ringgold, GA
|
Fuel dispenser | Adjacent to confirmed network location | Under Review | SUSPECTED |
|
Location J
Chattanooga, TN
|
Fuel dispenser | High-frequency anomalous device | Under Review | SUSPECTED |
|
Location K
Cleveland, TN
|
Fuel dispenser | Serial-pattern devices · same corridor as confirmed | Under Review | SUSPECTED |
Detection is the entry point. The data generated compounds into independent intelligence products with distinct buyer segments.
Fuel dispensers, ATMs, car wash terminals, transit fare systems, parking kiosks, and EBT terminals — every unattended card-accepting surface is a potential enrolled location. Franchise groups and chain operators represent the primary B2B sales motion.
Core Detection SubscriptionCard networks, acquiring banks, insurance underwriters, and facility designers each have distinct use cases for aggregated skimmer installation intelligence — generated as a byproduct of detection operations.
Intelligence LicensingAnnual U.S. losses across fuel pumps, ATMs, and retail payment terminals. Card networks and issuers absorb the majority of this cost. Prevention-focused products command premium pricing in this market segment.
Fraud PreventionEach detection, each enrolled location, and each monitoring event increases the value of every SkimTrace product simultaneously.
Filed 2026. Covers detection methodology, proprietary analysis architecture, enrollment workflow, tiered alert routing, operator deployment model, and emerging threat vector detection.
Every enrolled station contributes to a growing database of payment terminal location intelligence. The database enables automatic location recognition — and becomes more accurate with every operation across the network.
Confirmed skimmer device profiles, cross-location criminal network signatures, and installation position patterns accumulate into a proprietary intelligence asset unavailable from any other source.
All detection logic runs server-side only. The client application is a secure encrypted uploader — nothing in the app can be reverse-engineered to help criminals evade detection. The moat is structural.
Active engagements with Chattanooga PD Fraud Unit, Cleveland City PD Cyber Division, and the U.S. Secret Service Financial Crimes division. These relationships are built through results, not introductions.
Each new enrolled location improves detection accuracy for all locations. Each confirmed detection enriches the criminal intelligence database. Each operation across the network compounds the system's recognition capability. Scale compounds value.
We're actively seeking strategic partners, pilot operators, and early-stage investors. If you're a card network, franchise group, insurance carrier, or investor in payment security — this conversation is worth having.