Local debit cards affected in breach

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Lafayette police say a national debit card security breach is hitting close to home.

According to police, this compromise has affected customers from a string of local restaurants and other businesses. And it's hit several of the area's banks and credit unions.

"I have spoken with a lot of the local financial institutions, and I know that right now the scale is over $100,000 that has affected local financial institutions," said Lafayette Police Detective B.T. Brown.

Executives at Lafayette Bank and Trust and Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union confirmed that both institutions have seen an increase in fradulent activity on debit cards.

Brown said he's heard from many people in the Lafayette area who say they found fraudulent charges on their bank accounts after eating at some local restaurants.

"And it's not solely isolated to restaurants," he said. "There are other businesses involved. So that leads me to believe about the third party processor."

That means it's probably not linked to any criminal activity from local employees. In fact, Brown said this security breach has been seen across the country.

"There's not a lot the consumer can do to protect their card," he said. "This happened well beyond their control or even the local business's control."

Brown said the best thing you can do is simply increase your awareness and keep close track of the purchases you're making.

"There's no need for wide consumer panic in our area," he said. "In most cases if you speak with your financial institution, your financial institution will work with you and they'll make arrangements for the fraudulent purchases to be investigated, either at the bank level or local law enforcement."

He said you should be checking your bank statements at least every day or two. If you think you notice some fraudulent activity, the first thing to do is contact your financial institution immediately. Then find out if your bank or credit union wants you to file a police report.

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