Gina Morris of Providence Journal reports:
One day last August, the Secret Service paid a visit to the new owners of Custom House Coffee off West Main Road.
The news they brought was bad: Computer hackers, whereabouts unknown, had used sophisticated spy software to break into the store’s wireless network and steal the credit and debit card numbers of customers.
In all, about 50 customers of Custom House Coffee had been victimized, as early as May 2008, according to Police Chief Lance Hebert. But it wasn’t until the victims got their bank or credit card statements and saw charges they didn’t recognize that they realized they had been robbed. As the police reports started to filter in, detectives began connecting the dots.
So far, the thieves have run up nearly $50,000 in unauthorized charges on the victims’ cards in eight states, said Herbert, whose department just recently confirmed that the crimes occurred. The victims, however, have all been made whole by their card companies.
Thanks to Brian Honan for this link.