Taco Bell I.D. Theft

Identity theft really can happen anywhere, even a Colorado Taco Bell. Three Colorado Springs residents were convicted last week for stealing credit cards from gyms and Taco Bell restaurants in Woodland Park, Broomfield, Lakewood, Canon City and Pueblo.

The article in The Gazette from Colorado Springs states that two men gathered credit card numbers from locked and unlocked gym lockers and from Taco Bell patrons. They used a skimming machine in a young woman's apartment.

A credit card skimming machine copies information from a credit card by reading the magnetic strip. The data thieves then use this information to make up fake credit cards that they use in person or for online transactions. These machines are disguised to look like any credit card swipe machine. That's why some identity theft protection literature will tell you to watch your card in restaurants. Sometimes they can be installed under the counter or in the back. If a worker leaves your site with your card you should be suspicious.

But this was not the case here. These people stole the cards and then took them to another location to skim.