Tallassee Police Investigate Dozens of Credit, Debit Card Fraud Reports
Tallassee Police are investigating a flood of reports of stolen credit and debit card information. Investigators say the hackers aren’t just collecting the data. They’re also stealing money from victims’ accounts.
Britaney Gresham has disabled parents, a 2-year-old daughter, and as of Tuesday-a bank account nearly wiped out by hackers.
“I had to pay bills, and I had negative 300 and something in the bank. I didn’t know what to do. I was actually afraid that me and my husband weren’t going to be able to eat,” Gresham said.
She’s not the only one. “My mother, grandmother and aunt had all had all their accounts wiped out too,” she said.
Investigators say they’ve filed more than 150 reports, totaling about $75,000 in losses. Hannah Cooper says bank statements show someone accessed her card from California, overdrawing the account.
The Police Department lobby is now stocked with booklets on how to deal with identity theft. Investigators say they’ve been filing reports non-stop since Sunday.
“It’s sort of like triage. Yesterday was a madhouse and we just had to divvy out, we had officers on patrol, we had the humane society officer out doing reports yesterday,” said Tallassee Police Investigator Jason Gray.
“Of course you’re mad about it. Someone’s stolen your money or used your credit card and bought something that didn’t work for it. That’s the biggest part that aggravates you about it,” said James Taylor, whose accounts were hacked.
Investigators think the hackers are accessing a large system or database and believe other communities may have been hit too.
“Hopefully, we’ll break this. I do ask for patience from the citizens of Tallassee, give us the opportunity to work,” Gray said.
Tallassee Police say they believe there may be more victims, so they’re asking you to keep a close eye on your credit card statement and your bank statements. They’re also reaching out to other law enforcement, and ask if they’ve had anything like this happen in their area, that they contract Tallassee Police.
If you have any information that can help or if you want to file a report, call police at (334) 283-6586.
