DC Identity Theft Ring Broken Up

   

Posted: Jun 12, 2009

An identity theft scam that targeted restaurant patrons in Washington, D.C., has been broken up, with eight people pleading guilty to federal charges in the past two months.

A Washington Post report describes the "skimming" scam that targeted customers of several district restaurants, stealing a total of $736, 393 and impacting about 50 financial institutions. Skimming devices allow thieves to slide a card and steal the financial data it contains.

Three Maryland defendants reportedly paid servers at the restaurants in question $20 for each credit card number that they stole. The ringleaders and the former waiters are all expected to be sentenced in the next several months.

The owner of one restaurant even told the newspaper that federal agents had asked him to keep one waitress involved with the scam on staff while they continued to gather evidence against the operation.

Skimming devices are illegal in many places, but restaurant patrons are generally advised to be careful when paying by credit card. One tip includes contacting the manager if a server is spotted running a card through two separate devices.