Their Credit Card, Your Credit Card Account

Have you wondered why some merchants now ask you to read back the last four digits of your credit card when you make a purchase? My local Lowe's does this all the time. Well on May, 22, 2007, 11 people in Mesa, AZ were arrested. What they had been doing was using stolen credit card information and encoding that on their personal credit cards. This meant that the name on the card was theirs, they had authentic additional identification and the signature matched.

The safety control comes in when the clerk asks the customer to read the last four digits on the card. What prints on the receipt is based on the account being charged. If what the customer reads is different, we have a fraudulent transaction.

These 11 reportedly made at least 100 purchases which exceeded $500,000. They bought goods at Safeway, Fry's, Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and more. They purchased big ticket electronics and Visa gift cards. Some of the items purchased were sold on eBay while others were traded for methamphetamines.

The group will be facing charges of conspiracy, forgery, money laundering, identity theft and possession of dangerous drugs, officials said.

Next time you are asked to read the last digits of your card, thank the merchant for looking out for you. And if they don't ask, tell them they should.