Four Wisconsin suspects are accused of stealing Meijer credit card numbers and encoding them onto gift cards, also known as card cloning. The suspects used the cloned cards to purchase more gift cards or merchandise, according to the investigation. Suspects use a computer or device to code the magnetic strips of the cards. On August 20, a Brown County deputy was called to the Meijer store in Howard for a report of retail theft. A loss prevention employee said three men suspected of fraud were at the self-checkouts. Howard loss prevention was keeping a close eye on the store because the Sheboygan store had been hit earlier.
The deputy spotted the suspects and followed them to their vehicle. Three of the suspects, were inside the vehicle. The other was located at the nearby Fleet Farm store. The complaint says he was spotted throwing credit cards and gift cards under a shrub near the parking lot.
Meijer loss prevention had surveillance video of suspects using gift cards that had been encoded with stolen credit card numbers. In addition to the cards discarded under the shrub, investigators found bags containing gift cards in the suspect vehicle. They also found the receipts. Officers say the suspects had stolen credit cards from 11 Meijer customers. The store says it was not a result of a data breach at Meijer, but… ABC2 News