Teenage McDonald’s employee steals customer credit card info
Police have charged Christopher Hicks, a teenager working in a Laconia McDonald’s, with stealing customers’ credit card numbers. What’s worse is he had apparently also used them to buy electronics online, including an X-Box game system, spending in excess of $2,000.
Christopher Hicks, 17, was charged with fraudulent use of a credit card. Police said that Hicks was working in the McDonald’s drive-through in Laconia when he stole card numbers and used them to buy the electronic & entertainment merchandise online.
“While he had the cards in hand, he memorized some of the numbers, then wrote down the rest of the digits and then fraudulently used those over the Internet to make purchases,” Lt. Bill Clary said.
Police said a customer noticed unauthorized charges on her bank statement and reported it. Investigators said four customers’ card numbers were compromised.
Police said the merchandise was shipped to his aunt, Tina Solovicos, who was charged with receiving stolen property.
“We don’t believe she had any knowledge of the theft of card numbers,” Clary said. “However, she was aware the goods were stolen.”
Hicks and his aunt are due in court to face charges next month.
Police said several of the attempts to buy items were refused because the online company required a billing address.
That last bit is a great reminder to online merchants everywhere - there ARE some things that merchants can do to reduce credit card fraud. Recent studies have proven that traditional brick & mortar merchants could help reduce credit card fraud by as much as 50% simply by checking signatures & requiring valid ID at the point of sale.
Although it happens all too rarely, I’m greatful to the clerk when I’m asked to produce ID at the register. I feel even more strongly about my credit card purchases that occur online, and that could be performed by any person, any where in the world.
Protect yourself - shop at merchants that verify ID. Sooner or later the other merchants will begin to understand that this is a ‘value add’ that simply cannot be ignored, and will begin to offer this same level of what should be basic client/customer service.
