Your store looks normal and checkout still works — but malicious JavaScript is quietly copying every customer’s card number, expiry, and CVV at the moment they pay, and sending it to criminals. This is a Magecart-style skimmer. We find the injected code, kill the exfiltration, close the entry point, and lock your checkout down so it can’t be re-skimmed.
Last updated: June 2026 · Reviewed by the FixHackedWordPress malware response team
Red Flags For Store Owners
<script> or outbound requests on the checkout pageFix-First, Pay-Later Guarantee
We remove the skimmer and secure checkout first. If we can’t, you pay nothing.
Quick Answer
A credit card skimmer (Magecart / web skimming) is malicious JavaScript injected into your store that runs in the customer’s browser, watches the checkout form, and steals card data as it’s typed — then sends it to an attacker-controlled domain. Unlike SEO spam or redirects, nothing looks wrong: the store works, the order completes, and the theft is invisible to both you and the shopper. The damage is data theft and the fraud, chargebacks, and PCI fallout that follow.
Modern skimmers hide in your checkout template, a fake plugin, your theme’s JavaScript, or even a database record, often masquerading as Google Tag Manager or a CDN script. Many monitor the page’s DOM, wait a few seconds to avoid breaking the form, skip logged-in admins, and pull a fresh payload daily so it’s hard to catch. Removal requires finding every injection point, cutting the exfiltration, and hardening checkout — not just deleting one file.
Client-side
Runs in the shopper’s browser at checkout
Invisible
Store works normally while it steals
Exfil cut
We block the data-theft channel
$0
If we can’t fix it
Anatomy Of A Skimmer
A skimmer is engineered to be quiet and to look like a normal part of your store. Understanding the chain is how we find every link of it.
Step 1 — Inject
Obfuscated JavaScript is added to your checkout, theme files, a fake plugin, or a database record — frequently disguised as analytics or a CDN script so it blends in.
Step 2 — Wait & watch
The code monitors the page DOM and triggers when a customer reaches payment. Many skimmers delay a few seconds and skip the WordPress admin bar so they don’t break the form or expose themselves to you.
Step 3 — Capture
Event listeners grab the card number, expiry, CVV, name, and billing details as they’re typed — sometimes injecting a fake validation step to make customers re-enter and confirm the data.
Step 4 — Exfiltrate
The stolen data is POSTed to an attacker domain (or back through your own site via AJAX). The order completes normally, so neither you nor the shopper notices anything.
Want to check now? Open your checkout page, view source / network requests, and look for unfamiliar scripts or outbound POSTs to domains that aren’t your site or payment processor. Send us the URL and we’ll confirm it.
Skimmers have moved well beyond a single hacked file. We check every layer where card-stealing code can live.
Injected scripts in header.php, footer.php, checkout templates, or custom JS — often hex- or base64-obfuscated and posing as Google Tag Manager.
Obfuscated JavaScript stored in wp_options (for example a widget_block record) that loads onto the checkout without touching a single file.
A rogue plugin that injects the skimmer and often creates a hidden admin user for re-entry — a very common Magecart-on-WordPress delivery method.
A small loader on your site that pulls the real skimmer from a remote domain, so the payload can change daily and dodge signature scanners.
An outdated or recently-disclosed plugin flaw is usually how they got in. We patch it, or the skimmer simply returns.
Web shells and rogue admins left behind to re-inject the skimmer — see our backdoor removal page.
A skimmer steals your customers’ payment data, which carries obligations a normal hack doesn’t. Beyond cleanup, you may need to rotate all credentials and payment keys, review your logs to understand what was exposed and for how long, and consider your notification duties to your processor and affected customers. We focus on the technical removal and evidence; for legal and PCI-DSS obligations, confirm requirements with your payment processor and a qualified advisor — we’re security specialists, not lawyers.
Because the skimmer runs in the shopper’s browser and often skips admins, your own visits look perfect and a desktop file scan can miss code that’s stored in the database or loaded from a remote domain. The only reliable confirmation is inspecting what actually loads and runs on the live checkout — exactly what we do, including watching for unauthorized outbound requests.
Methodology
Stopping the theft fast, then making sure the skimmer can’t return through the same door.
We inspect the live checkout, map every script that loads, and identify the skimmer, its loader, and the domain it’s sending stolen card data to.
We delete the malicious code from files, the database, and any rogue plugin, remove the remote loader, and cut the exfiltration channel so the theft stops immediately.
We close the vulnerable plugin/flaw, remove backdoors and rogue admins, and rotate keys, salts, and credentials so stolen access is useless.
We recommend a Content Security Policy and script-integrity monitoring so any future injection on checkout is blocked or flagged before it can steal again.
Simple Pricing
No tiers, no upsells. One price to remove the skimmer and secure your checkout.
$75 flat, to start
Complete skimmer removal and checkout cleanup — one store.
Fix-first, pay-later · you only pay once it’s secured
That’s by design. A skimmer runs silently in the shopper’s browser at checkout and lets the order complete normally, so the store looks and behaves perfectly. The theft only shows up later as customer fraud reports or a processor flag.
Completely. Those manipulate your traffic or search results. A skimmer steals payment data — it’s a data-theft attack with breach and PCI implications, so the priority is stopping exfiltration and securing customer information.
Not necessarily. Skimmers often live in the database or load from a remote domain and avoid the admin area, so file-signature scanners miss them. Confirmation requires inspecting what actually loads on the live checkout.
Possibly — stolen card data can trigger notification and PCI obligations. We handle the technical removal and preserve evidence; for your specific legal duties, confirm with your payment processor and a qualified advisor, since requirements vary by region and card brand.
We treat active skimmers as emergencies and usually begin within an hour, with most removals completed within 4–12 hours. It’s a flat $75 to start, fix-first and pay-later — you only pay once your checkout is secured. Contact us with your store URL.
Every order while a skimmer is live means another customer’s card in criminal hands. We remove it, cut the exfiltration, and harden your checkout — and if we can’t, you pay absolutely nothing.
Flat $75 · Fix-first, pay-later