Credit Card Scam at Staples Nets More than $180,000

A cashier at a Westchester NY has been alleged to have played a part in a consumer credit card scam that netted more than $180,000. The cashier has been accused of selling the card information she stole while working at Staples.

Valerie Fajardo, a 21 year old from the Bronx, utilized a credit card skimming device to steal card data from customers from May to December.

The information she scammed from the customers was then sold to a man for $6,000. The man who bought the stolen credit card information then used it to create fake cards and subsequently used those cards to charge more than $180,000 in purchases. The cashier was finally arrested this week and booked on charges of scheme to defraud and criminal possession of a forgery device. She is still in jail without bail. There was no word on the charges, if any, filed against the man.

This type of credit card fraud is not uncommon and financial experts have long been encouraging consumers to regularly check their accounts for such fraudulent purchases. Monthly statements and online account monitoring should always be a part of a consumer’s financial life to prevent such fraud. Many times a scam will involve small charges over a long period of time that a consumer is less likely to notice.

The incident at Staples is not the first time unsuspecting consumers have been victimized by fraudulent credit card schemes. Gas stations all around the country have been reporting thousands of dollars has been lost in card skimming schemes for consumers that are not able to notice the placed devices on the credit card machines at the pumps.

A consumer’s only defense in such scams is to monitor their statements and report fraudulent activity immediately. If left unreported for months, law enforcement has a smaller window of opportunity to catch the thieves.

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