SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Police are warning consumers to be cautious before making payments after card skimmers were recently discovered in multiple convenience stores throughout Springfield. Skimming devices found at Springfield convenience stores, suspects sought This is nothing new for our area, but it's a great reminder to be careful before you pay, especially as the busy holiday shopping season begins. Springfield police are trying to identify these suspects in connection to multiple card-skimming devices found in the city last weekend. Police say there were four incidents where a skimmer was found by an employee, or they even witnessed the suspect retrieve the device inside a store---though, they could not release information on which stores were targeted. Springfield Police Spokesperson Ryan Walsh tells 22News, "They are just double-sided tape that looks exactly like POS machine, and some of the video that we have from the stores---you can see it just takes one or two seconds for the device to be placed on there." A card skimmer is a device that is illegally installed on or inside ATMs, point of sale terminals, and even fuel pumps to capture a card's data; and once criminals have that data, they can make purchases with your money, or drain your account completely. "A lot of debit cards give you credit options, so use the credit option and do not enter your PIN for a debit card," Walsh adds. "Sometimes you can't avoid using that PIN but if you can avoid that, use the tap--it's ultimately safer." Other tips from the Springfield PD include: Be cautious of using non-bank ATMs. Before using any machine, take a look to make sure it hasn't been tampered with---red flags are loose, crooked, or damaged card readers. If the numbers are hard to press or feel thick, it might have a false keypad installed and you should move on to the next machine. If you need to enter a PIN, cover the keypad with your other hand in case a camera is recording your number. Local News Headlines Corvette Club donates $8K to support local veterans Holyoke honors Jeff Walsh for parade contributions Springfield police urge caution following card skimmer incidents Monson Savings Bank donates $1,500 to Whip City Animal Sanctuary WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.