ONTARIO, Calif. – A recent card reader scam at San Francisco area Lucky supermarkets has resulted in identity theft for some store employees and customers, and others fearful that their debit or credit card accounts may have been compromised.
The store chain announced Monday that thieves placed card skimmers into the readers of self-checkout terminals at 23 stores. The readers captured personal information from 23 customers and 80 employees. Some have had money stolen from checking accounts. Store officials have recommended anyone who used these terminals in recent months should immediately close their accounts and seek advice from their financial institutions.
But consumers, “should not be inconvenienced by opening a new account, nor is that advisable,” according to Diana Dykstra, president and CEO of the California Credit Union League. “Financial institutions have been notified about cards that could have been compromised, so they can now monitor accounts for possible fraud and provide that information to consumers.”
If necessary, in many instances the process of getting a new credit card or debit card account number may be done over the phone or online, rather than having to go inside a financial institution, the CCUL said.
SaveMart, the parent company of Lucky, said it has checked all its stores and wants to assure customers that its card readers are now safe. It operates 233 stores in Northern California and Northern Nevada under the Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky, and FoodMaxx banners.
The company first learned of the problem around Nov. 11 and sent out a Consumer Advisory on Nov. 23, according to a company spokesperson. The company also has no estimate on how many may be victimized by the scam, saying reports keep coming in. “Thousands more could be at risk,” said CCUL’s Dykstra.
“It is important for the sake of the consumer that merchants quickly respond when these types of breaches occur,” Dykstra said. “It is just as imperative that merchants be more responsible for the effect these types of breaches can have on financial institutions that absorb the costs of re-establishing accounts and reissuing cards.”
