August 31, 2010
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News: Seven Indicted In Credit Card Skimming Ring
A debit and credit card skimming ring in the twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota has been shut down as a result of the joint efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the St. Paul Police Department, the Edina Police Department, the St. Louis Park Police Department and the Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force. Seven members of the ring were arrested earlier this month after the investigation found that three members of the group who worked for the Twin Cities Restaurant had been skimming debit and credit cards and then using them for fraudulent use. According to the indictment, the thieves have been stealing the debit and credit card information as far back as August 2009.
Court documents indicate that the seven individuals used the stolen debit and credit card information to produce counterfeit cards. The thieves then used the counterfeit credit cards to illegally purchase goods and services which included purchases made at the local Target, Elsa's House of Sleep, and merchandise at the Footlocker. In all, the group racked up over $150,000 in fraudulent charges. Arrested in the scheme were Demetrius Darnell Thomas, Kanetra Danielle Range, Nancia Raquel Range, Makiesha Edwina Mayo, Anthony Duane Curry, Brandon Conique Scott, and Brian Craig Davis. All have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and face up to 30 years in prison.
A skimmer is a small device whereby thieve swipe the customer's debit or credit card and stores the magnetic strip information for use later on. Skimming devices became very popular in restaurants and other businesses where cardholders typically did not have to enter their PIN or zip code and where the card often left the cardholder's site for a short period of time. Restaurant owners have begun to take extra precautions to deter any employee from using skimmers and cardholders have demanded greater security in protecting their cards.