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Mom's Bank Account Hacked, Comes Face to Face with Thief at Drive-Thru Window

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In this day and age, stealing someone’s identity has become as simple as ordering a favorite cup of coffee.

Smart phones make it easy for scammers and thieves to take credit card or other personal information.

We’ve become so accustomed to willingly handing our cards to the cashier at the drive-thru or grocery store that we fail to consider the person behind the register could be untrustworthy.

Unfortunately, swiping credit card information during these face-to-face transactions happens more often than we think.

In 2011, before chip cards were introduced in the United States, ABC News reported credit card cloning taking place at a California grocery store. Customers simply had to swipe their cards to give up their information.

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On Black Friday in 2013, hackers caused quite a stir at Target. CNN Money reported that 40 million paying customers were affected when software stole their credit card information as they paid at checkout.

Then, in 2016, a Starbucks barista decided to steal a customer’s debit card information in a much simpler way — no hacking required.

When Juana Martinez went for a coffee on New Year’s Day, she had no idea she was about to get robbed.



When the mother-of-three received a text message from her bank informing her of a transaction for $212 at a local Ralph’s grocery store, Martinez decided to investigate.

She called the store and asked them to describe the person who had used her card. Martinez was reportedly given a description, and says she knew immediately who had taken her information.

“She went to the back with my card. She was nervous to hand me it back. I worked retail for a couple of years so I knew you don’t just walk away to the back with someone’s card,” Martinez told Inside Edition.

Do you agree with this woman's actions?

Martinez decided to return to that Starbucks and confront the employee. Her husband caught the entire interaction on camera, and Martinez’s brother Brian Espinoza posted the video to Facebook.

“I almost feel bad for the girl but she robbed the wrong person,” Espinoza wrote. “Keep an eye out folks, even if it’s at your friendly neighborhood Starbucks.”

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“You come to Starbucks to get coffee, not to get robbed,” Martinez says in the video. According to KTLA 5, the employee was fired following this incident.

Intel security expert Robert Siciliano told Inside Edition how card users can keep their information secure to keep something like this from happening.

“Number one, pay close attention to the card,” he said. “If they get your card out of sight, that is a red flag. Number two, download your bank or credit card company’s mobile application and sign up for alerts. That way every time a charge is made to your card you get a text message or email. Number three, pay close attention to your statements. The moment you see unauthorized activity, call your bank or credit card companies immediately.”

Would you confront the thief if this happened to you?

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Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.
Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.

Sarah's experience as a successful working stay-at-home mom and business owner has given her the chance to write and research often. She stays up to date on the latest in entertainment and offers her views on celebrity stories based on her wide knowledge of the industry. Her success as a former preschool teacher and licensed daycare provider lend to her know-how on topics relating to parenting and childhood education.

Her thoughts on faith and family issues stem from home life and ministry work. Sarah takes time to attend workshops and classes annually that help her to improve and hone her writing craft. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature program and her writing has been acclaimed by ACFW and ECPA.
Education
Institute of Children's Literature, Art Institute of Phoenix (Advertising), University of California Irvine (Theater), Snow College (Early Childhood Education)
Location
Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Entertainment, Faith




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