March 19, 2007

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  NEWS: PIN Machines Hacked at Edmonton Wendy's

  Crooks used a skimming scam to steal at least 400 customers' debit card and PIN numbers at an Edmonton, Alberta Wendy's, say authorities. A Quebec-based organized crime group is suspected in the crime at the university-area fast food location, where unknown fraudsters implanted two debit-card readers with Bluetooth devices used to records and transmit personal information through wireless technology. It is speculated that those responsible may have broken into the restaurant during off-hours to rig the devices.
  
  Det. Fred Fiss, member of the fraud section of Edmonton police, told press that the crime had been traced back to some time in February, and that 400 victims had been identified, but that many more were expected. Because of the proximity requirements of the Bluetooth chips, it is likely that members of the group involved were sitting in the parking lot during business hours, covertly downloading customers' information instants after they paid for their meals.
  
  Police are numbering the victims of the scam by the number of fake debit cards that have been manufactured and used in connection with the incident. Interac caught a large "fraud spend" in Montreal, and was flagged when a large number of Alberta debit cards were being used in Quebec, all of the sudden. Of the 400 fake cards, three-quarters were used outside of the province. Detectives have determined that no Wendy's employees were involved in the scam, and are urging consumers who have used their debit cards at the Wendy's any time recently to check their card statements carefully for suspicious activity.
  
  
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