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Debit Info Sold on Black Market?

Published Feb 21, 2006
(Updated Mar 7, 2007)

Some stunned Georgia bank customers have found debits on their ATM accounts from Russia, Cyprus, even Thailand.

Since those customer have never been to those countries, Coweta County investigators think the victims' debit card information may have been sold on the black market.

Imagine Debbie Maritz's feelings when she went to a doctors appointment and tried to make her co-payment with her debit card.

“He’s telling me it’s declined, and I'm thinking how can that be when I know there’s more than enough money in there to cover the $25 co-pay,” Maritz said.

She says she went home, and logged into her bank's website to see what happened to more than $1,100 in her account.

“I looked, and I about fell out of my chair, because there was all these transactions from Bangkok, Thailand,” she said. “I mean, you feel so violated and then you want to know, okay who did this -- who got my number -- cause then you want to just wring their neck.”

Maritz was not alone. Originally six people came to the Coweta County Sheriff’s office with stories of having money drawn from their accounts from far away places. A story was done on it in the local newspaper last Thursday, and since then investigators have been inundated with calls.

“We’ve also had approximately 25 call-ins of victims stating that they’ve had the same type of withdrawls, and the money has been paid back by the banks,” said Investigator Edmund Rivera of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.

Several banks in Coweta County have covered the losses by their customers, but the mystery remains.

One theory being investigated is that cards are being sold on the black market, made from account information stolen from a nationwide office supply company. But that’s only a theory.

Coweta County investigators say they feel sure there are victims outside of Coweta County. Anyone who feels they may be a victim is asked to call their local law enforcement agency.







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