Card Skimmers Discovered at Multiple South Georgia Dollar Generals

Law enforcement agencies in South Georgia have recovered multiple suspected credit and debit card skimming devices from several Dollar General stores across Lee and Dougherty counties.

The Dougherty County Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported the discovery of these devices on May 9, 2026. Authorities are now conducting investigations into the source of the devices and the extent of the fraud.

Locations of Recovered Devices

In Dougherty County, the Dougherty County Police Department investigated a reported card skimmer found on a card machine at the Dollar General located at 5731 Newton Road.

In Lee County, deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office recovered two suspected skimming devices on May 9, 2026. One device was found at the Dollar General on Highway 82, located next to Turner’s Furniture, and a second device was recovered at the Dollar General on North Slappey Boulevard, located next to Wendy’s.

Mechanics of Card Skimming

According to officials, card skimmers are designed to secretly steal financial information while customers use a debit or credit card. Criminals place fake readers over legitimate card machines at store registers, self-checkouts, or gas pumps.

When a customer swipes or inserts their card, the skimmer copies the card’s data while the real machine continues to process the payment. Investigators stated that the stolen information can subsequently be used to create cloned cards or make fraudulent purchases.

Consumer Warnings and Prevention

Officials are urging anyone who shopped at these specific locations to review their bank and credit card statements for any fraudulent or unauthorized activity. Anyone who identifies suspicious charges should report them to their financial institution and law enforcement.

To prevent future theft, authorities recommend that consumers use tap-to-pay options whenever possible. Regarding these precautions, an official stated, we are encouraging people, if you shop at any of those locations or any locations where you have to scan your card that you what you use to tap on the card instead, while noting that they remain on the lookout for such cases within the city.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at 229-759-6012 for reports related to these incidents.

Community Impact

The discovery of the devices has caused concern among local shoppers who utilize discount retailers to manage their expenses.

Well, I just couldn’t believe it at first, you know, because we go to Dollar General to save money. Right. And when you go to Dollar General, you expect to save money, but you don’t expect to have someone take money out of your account. And I also wondered who was doing it,

Ren’ee Rentmeester, community member