Many Local Victim's of Credit/Debit Card Fraud
Many western Oklahoma police department's have taken reports of credit/debit card fraud over the past few weeks. The investigations have indicated that a person or several persons have been able to reproduce the magnetic stripe of victim's card and place it onto a card with the suspects alias. The card is then used to make purchases of gift cards and other items in out-of-state stores such as Walmart, Target, and other retail stores. The charges usually total over $1,500.00.
The Cordell Police Department has confirmed with investigators from other police departments, along with a statement released by the restaurant, that the credit/debit card information has possibly leaked from Montana Mike's in Clinton, Oklahoma. All efforts have been made to correct the issues and Montana Mike's has released the following statement:
BEGIN STATEMENT ---"At Montana Mike’s of Clinton, your privacy and confidence in your financial transactions with us are of paramount importance to us.
We have recently learned about instances of credit/debit card fraud which has been perpetrated by third parties in what is commonly referred to as a “phishing” scam in the credit card industry. Montana Mike’s is cooperating, and will continue to work, with law enforcement agencies, including the Clinton Police Department, the FBI, and the US Secret Service, to investigate claims that guests credit and/or debit cards have been used improperly by third parties.
In the interim, information has been disseminated in the community which is not factually accurate, nor is it complete. So, Montana Mike’s would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the facts:
1. Montana Mike’s does not store customer credit card numbers and information on its computer system. All credit card information is encrypted, stored and/or communicated to financial institutions in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations of Visa and Mastercard. The encrypted information was not compromised.
2. At all times since Montana Mike’s of Clinton opened for business, it has been in full compliance with then-existing Visa/Mastercard regulations and as they have updated their regulation and requirements we have complied with the upgraded regulations.
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3. On August 3, 2010, Montana Mike’s of Clinton was advised by its credit card processing bank that our computer may have been “hacked” from a remote location somewhere in the world. This “hacking” was accomplished by using a software program used by hackers to “tunnel” beyond “firewalls”. This software program did not obtain credit/debit card numbers from any stored data on our computers, but only as the card was simultaneously swiped for a transaction
4. On August 4, 2010, Montana Mike’s of Clinton immediately disabled any remote access to its computer which handles financial transactions for its customers, and by August 10, 2010, a new and more sophisticated “firewall” was installed.
5. The time period in question is limited in time from March 20, 2010 (the date upon which the “hacker” gained access to our computer system, and August 4, 2010 (the date we were notified of a potential problem, and at which time we disabled remote access). We are not aware of any issues prior to March 20, 2010, or after August 4, 2010.
6. There is no indication that any employee of Montana Mike’s of Clinton was complicit in the “hacking” of such information. It was accomplished completely by remote access. Our computer is under continuous recorded video surveilance. .
7. The hard drive that was hacked has been replaced and has been preserved for examination by a Computer Forensic specialist who we are hiring.
Credit card fraud is a serious problem in the United States today, and we at Montana Mike’s of Clinton take our responsibility to safeguard your information very seriously! You may continue to use your credit and debit cards at Montana Mike’s of Clinton with full confidence that the problem brought to our attention has been taken care of, and that your data is encripted and secure..
If you have reason to believe that your privacy and/or financial interests have been affected as the result of the use of a credit and/or debit card at Montana Mike’s of Clinton, we urge you to contact Montana Mike’s of Clinton at 580 323 3555 x8 or via e-mail at wsch99@gmail.com, while at the same time contacting your financial institution or the institution which issued the credit/debit card to you, i.e. Visa, Master Card, etc. We intend to work with you as our guest to make sure that any problem that you have encountered and/or may encounter is taken care of as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
We appreciate your past and continued support of Montana Mikes Restaurant in Clinton.
Walter Schumacher,
Chief Executive Officer
Steakmacher LLC
dba Montana Mike’s of Clinton" ---END STATEMENT
The Cordell Police Department would like to thank Montana Mike's for their cooperation and quick response to the threat. We would also like to emphasize that the suspect(s) involved may target other businesses and individuals anywhere in the world.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service are investigating the complaints and working with the local banks to recover the losses.
If you have been a victim of this fraud, please contact your local police department to file a police report. This report will help you recover your losses and help with the credit reporting agencies in restoring your credit.
If you are a potential victim, we suggest you cancel the current cards associated with your account and obtain new cards.
For more information about identity theft and how to recover visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.
This story generated in response to http://www.altenhofel.com/blog/debitcredit-card-fraud-local-restaurant-c....