Villagers victims of credit card fraud

by Gill Montia

Story link: Villagers victims of credit card fraud

An unusual case of debit and credit card fraud has come to light, with a number of the residents of a Leicestershire village claiming to have become victims of international crime.

Early reports suggest that hundreds of residents of Houghton on the Hill had their credit cards “cloned” at the local shop and petrol station.

Cards details were apparently copied by a fake reader that had been installed in the shop, while a secret camera was used to capture PINs as customers made their entries.

Withdrawals, which could total up to £80,000, have made from overseas, with accounts showing the cloned cards being used in Canada, Australia, India and the Philippines.

According to Jim Funnell, the owner of the shop, he called the police when he thought someone had tampered with the credit card reader.

Mr Funnell believes his shop has “been at the centre of a credit-card scam which has affected every house in the village … some customers have lost large sums, with £500 going in one transaction.”

So far residents of Houghton on the Hill have reported incidents such as £600 being withdrawn from various ATMs in Canada and an attempt to withdraw £111 in the Philippines.