DeWitt Chief of Police James C. Hildmann reports that Dewitt and other police agencies within Onondaga County have encountered numerous cloned credit card uses in the last few weeks.

DeWitt police report suspects are taking information from a variety of sources and imprinting the stolen information on newly produced fraudulent credit cards. The cards may be embossed with the persons name on it that is holding the card, but the information on the magnetic strip is stolen information.

On Oct. 1, the United States went to the Chip credit cards requiring retailers and small businesses to adopt the readers and software. In the past, the credit card company would have the burden to pay for the loss. Now, whichever party (merchant or issuer) hasn’t upgraded will be held responsible from card-present fraud costs.

One of the most common scams is when the person comes in to purchases gift cards and uses several different cards to make several purchases and police want to let retailers know proper identification is crucial.

Here are some tips from the DeWitt Police Department for what retailers and small businesses can do to limit their liability:

?Get chip card readers up and running.

?Make sure to get photo identification and confirm it is the correct person.

?Write down their driver’s license number and any other identifying information. Ask for two forms of ID if you aren’t certain.

?Be suspicious of any purchasers that have to try several credit cards.

?Call 911 if you believe they have used a counterfeit credit card, and make sure to have a complete description of the person and a license plate number if possible.