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Thieves Using Your Credit Cards for Cash

Updated: Friday, February 22 2013, 11:17 PM EST
MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- Police in Marysville are trying to find the root of a credit fraud problem in Union County.

Around a dozen people have reported large unauthorized purchases from their debit or credit cards and the common theme is either living in or they've been through Marysville, Ohio.

"There's been fraudulent purchases made on their cards in different countries as well as here in the states," Marysville Police Det. Don McGlenn said.

Some purchases and withdrawals were traced to places like a jewelry store in Dubai, where someone walked away with $11,000.

"When I went to use the card, I found there was nothing on it," Kathy Crowder said.

Crowder's bank account was suddenly drained. When she contacted her bank, they told her someone made a complete withdrawal from an ATM machine in the United Kingdom.

"I was devastated," she said.

So, how are they getting your money? Police have narrowed it down to two things:

First, police have often prosecuted cashiers or servers for carrying handheld devices that store your private information. They can then use it for themselves or sell it to other criminals, often in other countries.

Secondly, thieves can sometimes find your banking information online or stored in a store's computer records.

Police suggest keeping an eye on your accounts.

"The quicker you notice there's fraud on your account, the quicker they can get that number shut down," Det. McGlenn said.