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WSB-TV: Bluetooth Technology Used For Credit Thefts

For years, bluetooth technology has given users a hands-free way to communicate. 

Now, authorities say that thieves are using that same technology to get their hands on credit card numbers without physically touching the card. 

In a special investigative report, Atlanta's WSB-TV reporter Tom Regan exposed how skimming devices are used to copy the magnetic strip of a credit card.  After the strip has been duplicated, criminals are able to use the cards themselves or sell the numbers online.

According to Regan, Atlanta is one of the nation's top places for credit card and identity theft. Yet, identity theft appears to be a growing problem across the country. From the state of Washington on the west coast to New York out East, consumers are watching their wallets more than ever before. 

In Chicago, six people were arrested last week in connection to a scheme which targeted patrons of well-known establishments and eateries. 

According to CBS Chicago, 32 year-old Joseph Woods is accused of recruiting employees of Wrigley Field, McDonald's, and Ralph Lauren restaurant to obtain credit and debit card information from customers using a small credit-card reader. In that case, bluetooth technology was not used. However, the Illinois Attorney General warned consumers to be more aware of activity on their bank statements. 

For Krystal Morris of Chicago, a vigilant attitude towards personal credit helped her to catch an identity thief who tried to order a new phone with her account number.

"Of course, I was on the phone with the loss prevention team; I fought it and I won," says Morris. "But that was one of the worst things to ever happen to me."

~ Zack A. Isaacs


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