Saugus cops, feds probe credit card fraud activity

SAUGUS – Saugus Police Lt. Ronald Giorgetti said an “influx in credit card fraud” has spurred an investigation into a local business that has possibly been “compromised.”Giorgetti declined Sunday to say which business in Saugus police are looking at, but said the department is actively investigating with the Secret Service and credit card companies.?We?re trying to figure out how the compromise happened and who?s responsible for it,” said Giorgetti. “We started putting it together (recently). The common denominator is that business enterprise. But that?s not to say there?s any wrongdoing or any involvement with the business directly. Hypothetically, this could be someone who compromised some data lines or a server somewhere outside of Saugus and was able to capture information.”Giorgetti said “in excess of 50″ people have been affected so far.?They?re still coming in,” said Giorgetti. “It?s not just local to Saugus residents. People should be checking their credit card statements and their credit and, if they notice any transactions they?re not responsible for, they should be reporting it to their local police departments.”According to the Saugus Police log, police have received five calls this past week for credit card fraud, including three on Thursday.A man walked into the station Thursday to report his checking account debit card was used at a restaurant on Lincoln Avenue, totaling $78. The man stated he never lost physical possession of the card. One caller reported credit card fraud totaling $800, while another person walked into the station Thursday to report someone obtained her credit card information and used it in California last Sunday. She also stated the card was never out of her possession.On Tuesday, a woman came into the station to report her card was used for $2,664.10 in fraudulent charges in Virginia.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].