ID Theft Ring Placed Skimmers In Taco Bell, Stole Cards From Gym Lockers
Credit card skimmers aren't just on ATMs and in grocery stores, apparently they're at Taco Bell. The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that a ID theft ring was busted for skimming credit card numbers at a Taco Bell as well as stealing cards from people's gym lockers.
Two of the culprits got 10 year sentences for crimes including racketeering and identity theft and a third is awaiting sentencing.
[The thieves] used a computer in [one of the thieves] apartment to load credit card numbers stolen from Taco Bell patrons and gym members onto old credit cards, which were then used at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Toys-R-Us and other retailers.
Police said all three "skimmed" credit card numbers from cards stolen out of locked and unlocked gym lockers.
Something to keep in mind when you're deciding what to bring to the gym, we suppose.
3 convicted in ID theft ring targeting Taco Bell, gym patrons [Colorado Springs Gazette]
(Photo:Synaesthesia)
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Comments:
Wow.. I can't remember the last time I stepped into a Taco Bell, let alone use my credit/debit card there. (they are all over the place in Arizona, too.)
I saw that and was like shit I goto Taco Bell and live in the Springs then I saw they didn't do it in the Springs but were just from the Springs. That was a big phew.
Maybe part of the punishment should be to eat Taco Bell food every day.
Q: Why does everyone diss Taco Bell so bad? Makes me think you are all of the gourmand cognoscenti variety. But I know that as you are on Consumerist, you are all penny pinchers... so again why diss TB?
Supposedly, they aren't that bad on the calorie count meter either (see: [health.yahoo.com])
@anithinks: Yeah really, I'm a big fan of their regular "soft tacos". 3 makes the perfect meal, and they cost like 99c each.
Silly me - I thought the weird feeling in my gut was from the food at Taco Bell.
@anithinks: It's not just about the calorie count, it's also about the quality and how the food is handled. Most of it is empty calories.
Next time you order from taco bell check out the quality of the lettuce and tomatoes.
I would personally never eat anything from fast food that doesn't get cooked and ask them to leave off the mayonnaise.
@Shamoononon: My feet stink.: Having worked in a handful of restaurants during school, I wouldn't say that fast food is any less safe than any other restaurant out there.
In fact, since the kitchen is in full view, I'd say you're better off at a place like that from a "food handling" point of view. Being in a secluded kitchen is fantastic, and if you care to, you can get away with a whole lot more while preparing food.
With that said, if there was only one restaurant that I could eat at for the rest of my life, my choice would undoubtedly be Taco Bell.
If I was going to pick a place to steal credit cards from, it wouldn't be a place where you can get stupidly full for $3, because those people aren't likely to have big credit limits.
Or maybe not. I am those people, and my credit's pretty good.
@anithinks: My fiance and I go to town on some Taco Bell. The ritual on Mondays nights is for me to go to my bellydancing class, which ends at 8:30, and at the end of which I am usually ravenous. I stop by the Bell for some junk food and we have a late dinner. I admit I am getting a little sick of the food though. He went out of town for a week, during which I subsisted off of cheap crap food, and I am a little tired of the grilled chicken burritos now.
@anithinks: I don't eat it very often, but when I get a craving for Taco Bell, nothing else will do (same goes for Captain D's). LOVE their chicken quesadillas!
How in the world do you install a skimmer at a Taco Bell? Was it disguised as a burrito? Isn't there someone at the counter while this thing is being installed?
And why is everything green?
@anithinks: I happen to like Taco Bell. It's obviously bad for you like any other fast food, but it's no worse than any other restaurant.
It does seem to be easy to pick on, maybe because it conjures up images of teenage stoners dropping by because they have a wicked case of "the munchies." Or something.
Whoever figured out you could make tacos on an assembly line with a huge caulking gun full of sour cream was a genius.
@Shamoononon: My feet stink.: The veggies are good for you. For a dollar, the taco is not a bad deal at all considering a dollar hamburger gets you a bun and some meat, and nothing else. At least the taco gives you the meat, veggies, cheese and a shell which is at least probably less bad for you than the a hamburger bun.
Best tacos ever? No way. Taco Bell is nowhere near as good as a place like Pedro's in San Juan Capistrano. But is Taco Bell decent food at a good value? Yep.
@H3ion: Apparently it was done by an employee there: "They had a co-conspirator working at the Taco Bell restaurant on Academy Park Loop, who used an electronice device to steal patrons' credit card account numbers." [www.coloradoconnection.com]
@anithinks: TB is nice because you can get lots of smaller items, rather than one big burger and fries, for example. A taco, a burrito, some pintos & cheese, maybe a quesadilla or a small nacho supreme, then a small dessert. Almost like eating at a buffet. And the variety is pretty good for lots of different tastes, and the value is good. My toddler likes the food there too, so more's the better, and the portions are just right for him and his picky little stomach.
And I do think they put drugs in the ingredients. When the cravings start, there is only one sure way to solve them! We were TB-less for about a year here, and I was not a happy camper!
@SPENCERG: With all the great Mexican fast food restaurants in AZ I have yet to understand why Taco Bell is here at all. The street side taqueria carts are better than taco bell and probably safer.
@anithinks: I don't think everyone on consumerist is a penny pincher. I think that the reason many of us are here is because we don't like getting ripped off no matter how expensive our taste is. And for the entertainment value of some of the articles.
I know whether I spend $1000 or $10 I still expect decent customer service and to not be ripped off.
That being said, I like cheap food, but I don't care for Taco Bell.
@anithinks: I lived in New Mexico and ate real Mexican food, so I am spoiled in that taco bell's food just doesn't pass for me.
@weazel662: The only bitch I have is that they won't let you make substitutions on the combo meals. If I order a burrito, I don't want a TACO as a side! That's so dumb! I want pintos n cheese or those gross potatoes or something.
I'm still waiting for Del Taco to expand....
@anithinks: They keep raising the price, but the meximelt is still the best. I get mine with no sauce, so it's basically just a glorified soft taco, but still...so orgasmic ;w;
My background is Mexican, so I'm used to the good stuff and Taco Bell just doesn't cut it. What I do often crave, however, is Del Taco, a West Coast chain that's like a drag queen impersonation of Taco Bell. Most of the same stuff, but cheaper, gaudier and more fun. I could live off their bacon-egg-cheese quesadillas (greasadillas?).
@madanthony: Eh, it might not be so bad. If you eat fast food a bunch, you might have a lot of little charges on your account and not notice $5 or $10 disappearing every so often.
who eats at Taco bell ?
it is disgusting food !