Identity theft probe expands to Alameda

Identity theft probe expands to Alameda
PIN pads in Albertsons stores were tampered with to allow card numbers to be stolen
By Alejandro Alfonso, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 04/20/2007 03:07:07 AM PDT

SAN LORENZO — The investigation into an identity theft ring that began after a PIN pad was tampered with at an Albertsons supermarket in San Lorenzo has broadened to include another Albertsons store in Alameda and the number of reported victims has topped 100 people who together lost about $70,000, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators now believe a sophisticated group of thieves replaced an Electric Funds Transfer unit, or PIN pad, at the Albertsons stores with a nearly identical pad that would steal customer's account information and PIN numbers, sheriff's Detective Greg Swetnam said.

The thieves then would use cloned credit cards to clean out the victims' bank accounts through ATM withdrawals, Swetnam said. The operation began on the East Coast; then moved on to Southern California, where several merchants were targeted; and now have reached the Bay Area, Swetnam said. The federal Secret Service has been tracking the group, and all the information gathered from local investigations eventually will be turned over to the Secret Service, who handle prosecution once suspects are caught, he said.