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PORTLAND, Ore., March 30 (UPI) -- Thieves no longer need bank data or a credit card to run up big tabs illegally -- they often use trial and error to come up with valid car numbers, police say.
The (Portland) Oregonian reported Sunday that instead of searching for cards and personal data, credit card thieves are randomly trying out combinations of 16 digits until they come up with a set that matches someone's card number.
With those numbers, thieves use gift cards available in many grocery stores to craft their own credit card or debit card, the newspaper said.
Scammers shave numbers off the gift cards and glue the right sequence onto a stolen bank card or a bank-issued gift card. By damaging the magnetic strip on the back of the card, they force store clerks to look at the digits and input them manually.
"People don't understand it. They're scratching their heads. 'Nobody stole my mail. There was no burglary.' Their credit card number is being used, but their card is still in their purse or wallet," says Portland Police Officer Barbara Glass. "Most victims are spun-out worried, looking for some conspiracy clue. But it's just dumb luck they got hit."
The (Portland) Oregonian reported Sunday that instead of searching for cards and personal data, credit card thieves are randomly trying out combinations of 16 digits until they come up with a set that matches someone's card number.
With those numbers, thieves use gift cards available in many grocery stores to craft their own credit card or debit card, the newspaper said.
Scammers shave numbers off the gift cards and glue the right sequence onto a stolen bank card or a bank-issued gift card. By damaging the magnetic strip on the back of the card, they force store clerks to look at the digits and input them manually.
"People don't understand it. They're scratching their heads. 'Nobody stole my mail. There was no burglary.' Their credit card number is being used, but their card is still in their purse or wallet," says Portland Police Officer Barbara Glass. "Most victims are spun-out worried, looking for some conspiracy clue. But it's just dumb luck they got hit."
