Ralphs patrons report debit identity theft

Last week, Crissy Baker checked her bank account and found $600 mysteriously gone. It was the day before her daughter’s second birthday, and the woman, who had only moved to Huntington Beach a month ago, needed to get that money back right away.

“I called the bank and they told me that my [personal identification number] had been entered and my card swiped,” Baker said. “I panicked and checked my purse.”

But the debit card was still in her bag.

Baker discovered later that her account information had been pilfered from a checkout stand card-reader inside a Ralphs supermarket in Huntington Beach.

And she was not the only victim.

Last week, the store replaced the card terminals after more than 40 people contacted Huntington Beach police reporting similar unauthorized withdrawals from their accounts. Victims had paid for purchases at the Ralphs at Goldenwest Street and Garfield Avenue using their debit cards.

During the past few weeks, amounts ranging from $300 to $700 were withdrawn from bank accounts in California and Arizona, police said.

Baker’s bank reimbursed her for the lost funds. Police could not say whether other banks have done the same.

A Ralphs spokesman declined to say whether the store would reimburse customers who lost money using the terminals.

It is possible that the information was sold, which could explain how withdrawals were made from locations in two states, Junginger said.

Some of the replaced terminals in police custody were checked for obvious signs of hacking, and none were found. So the machines have been sent to the manufacturer for an internal software investigation, Det. David McCain said.

When the machines are opened it usually is obvious that they have been hacked — signs can include clips hanging off of wires or a hidden camera — McCain said.

“With these, it wasn’t obvious,” he said.

That the thefts were an inside job has not been ruled out, police said.

“Do a Google search, and you’ll see literature on how to hack them online,” McCain said.

The same model machines are available for purchase online, making it quite easy for just about anyone to teach themselves how to hack them, McCain added.

The terminals were replaced last week after police inspected them, O’Neil said.

Investigators considered the thefts as isolated to the one Ralphs, but identity theft and credit fraud have become the fastest-growing crimes in Huntington, Junginger said.

“These types of crimes are occurring all over the city,” he said.

Detectives recommend using a credit card that requires a signature rather than debit cards because the personal identification number used to get money from the card grants direct access to the bank accounts.

After replacing the machines, Ralphs officials have worked closely with police to solve the case.

“They’ve done about as much as humanly possible from preventing it from happening again,” Junginger said.

“We want to make sure that our customers can use their cards safely and without fear,” O’Neil said.

But it may take a while to win back the confidence of some shoppers.

“I don’t know if I want to use the machines anymore,” Baker said.

Others said the convenience of the machines would keep shoppers coming back.

“[But] they’re not as secure as you think,” Ralphs shopper Pam Bowman said.

Anyone who has noticed unauthorized withdrawals should call Huntington Beach Police at (714) 375-5165.

Police urge people to call their bank to find out what kind of protections your account has against a situation like this and how you could be reimbursed.