Michigan State Police open an investigation into fraudulent activity involving stolen credit cards and lottery scratch-off tickets in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. Recently the Michigan State Police began an investigation after receiving complaints from the Escanaba area, involving stolen credit cards related to cases in Wisconsin and Nebraska.
MSP says the scam typically presents itself as a subject posing as a customer wishing to purchase a large quantity of lottery scratch-off tickets using a credit card for payment. Subjects often attempt to conceal their face from identification and will ask to manually enter the credit card information for the sales process. Either by asking directly for a cashier to manually enter the number or making multiple “failed attempts” to swipe the card or use the sim chip.
Michigan state police say businesses can take steps to protect their customers and location by not processing credit card information manually, and limiting the amount of lottery tickets that can be sold in one given purchase. And remain cautious of customers seeking to purchase a large amount of lottery scratch-off tickets. MSP also suggests double-checking the credit card identification name with the individual state-issued identification. Please report any suspicious credit card activity to law enforcement.
