Watch Out For Credit Card Fraud At Frozen Four

(left) A "skimmer," readily available on the internet, is used by waitstaff to swipe credit card info from unsuspecting patrons

Many of the upscale restaurants mentioned in this article about credit card fraud in Washington D.C. are located near the Verizon Center. Best advice, use credit cards sparingly, never let them out of your sight, and don't use debit cards that could wipe out your bank account.

Four former servers at three upscale Washington D.C. restaurants blocks from the White House were arrested last week for allegedly using covert skimming devices to clone customer credit card data, in a year-long counterfeiting operation that's put $750,000 in fraudulent charges on the plastic of Washington's elite. Servers at Clyde's of Gallery Place, M&S Grill, and 701 Restaurant, along with Maryland workers at Carrabba's Italian Grill and the Gaylord Hotel, allegedly stole the card numbers.

According to the Secret Service, the data wound up in the hands of 28-year-old Joseph Artemus Bush, III, a Maryland man who was repeatedly caught on surveillance video using counterfeit cards with the skimmed account numbers. [read rest of article]