Credit Card

WARSAW - Kosciusko County police are warning us about an email scam that has surfaced in our area. Sheriff Rocky Goshert says people have recently received emails containing fraudulent information, saying the owner's credit card has been suspended. The message goes on to say that activating the card is “quick and easy,” and the credit card has been “suspended for your protection.” Goshert says the email than asks the person to complete a downloaded form that's attached to the original message and provide personal information, including Social Security number, mother's maiden name, credit card number and PIN number.

If you're using your credit card a lot more often these days and the balance is growing, you're not alone. The Federal Reserve just released numbers showing credit card debt rose for the first time in two years. Some say the upside is that this means people are more confident about the economy and they're starting to spend more. Others say this is a clear sign people are still struggling. Jack Herman just bought groceries. "I spent about 75 dollars," said Herman, "using the credit card.

We told you about a computer hacking incident at two area Hacienda restaurants, compromising credit card information. Now our WSBT Fact Finder team has looked into what you should do to minimize the financial damage if your credit card number is stolen. Computers were hacked at the Haciendas in Erskine Plaza in South Bend and in Michigan City. Hacienda doesn't know how many numbers were taken, but they do know they were stolen between December 23rd and January 4th. Hacienda has hired an outside security analyst to inspect all restaurant systems.

Some drivers who use i-Zoom transponders to pay their way along the Indiana Toll Road might have noticed during the past nine months that they are being charged what appears to be a new $1 monthly fee to use the system. But the fee is not new, according to a spokeswoman for ITR Concession Co., the private company that leases and operates the 157-mile road. ITR began offering electronic toll collection in April 2008, and i-Zoom customers who linked their accounts to a credit card have been charged the monthly "management fee" all along, said Amber Kettring, the company’s public relations coordinator.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says a credit card company legally increased the interest rate on a man's card without telling him. The high court on Monday ruled for Chase Bank USA and against James A. McCoy. McCoy complained that Chase increased his interest rate due to his delinquency or default, and applied that increase retroactively. He says credit card regulations make that illegal because Chase did not notify him until after the increase went into effect.

Middlebury Police are warning residents about a recent phone scam that has affected several families in the town. Police say the automated phone call tells credit card holders their card is frozen and they need to enter their credit card number to re-activate it. According to the police department news release, no financial institution would contact customers via automated voice message to solve this issue. If you have received a call, do not enter personal information.

If you used a credit card at the Hacienda restaurant at South Bend's Erskine Plaza or in Michigan City over the holidays, double check your statements. A spokesman just confirmed to WSBT their computers were hacked, and some credit card numbers were stolen. Hacienda is not sure how many. Chris Taylor got a call from her credit card company about unusual charges... out of Texas. She and her husband went to the Erskin Plaza restaurant the day after Christmas. "I was very glad that the card company was on top of it," said Taylor.

A (then) 16-year-old who killed his mother's boyfriend two years ago is headed to prison. Josh Smith of Stevensville was sentenced to probation and "boot camp" for the beating death of David Loveland in 2010. He was 15 at the time. But in February of this year, Smith was charged with stealing a credit card and using it. He pleaded guilty in that case. Because Smith violated his probation, a judge sentenced the teenager to 2 to 15 years in prison for manslaughter in the Loveland death.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities in Tennessee say a 15-year-old boy posed as a police officer to steal people's credit card numbers, then racked up hundreds of dollars in charges for pizza and a house party. The Commercial Appeal in Memphis reports ( http://bit.ly/sCacYK ) that the ninth-grader was charged with three felonies, including unauthorized use of a credit card. He was arrested Thursday. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office says the boy created a fake officer named Capt.

JACKSON, Mich. (AP) - A woman arrested on her wedding day and jailed while wearing a white gown and veil has been arraigned on identity theft charges. The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports Wednesday that 53-year-old Tammy Lee Hinton is accused of using or trying to use her son's identification to get phone and utility service, and a credit card. Jackson District Court Magistrate Frederick Bishop ordered Hinton held on a $100,000 bond. The theft was reported in 2009 and a warrant was issued.

WARSAW - Kosciusko County police are warning us about an email scam that has surfaced in our area. Sheriff Rocky Goshert says people have recently received emails containing fraudulent information, saying the owner's credit card has been suspended. The message goes on to say that activating the card is “quick and easy,” and the credit card has been “suspended for your protection.” Goshert says the email than asks the person to complete a downloaded form that's attached to the original message and provide personal information, including Social Security number, mother's maiden name, credit card number and PIN number.

We told you about a computer hacking incident at two area Hacienda restaurants, compromising credit card information. Now our WSBT Fact Finder team has looked into what you should do to minimize the financial damage if your credit card number is stolen. Computers were hacked at the Haciendas in Erskine Plaza in South Bend and in Michigan City. Hacienda doesn't know how many numbers were taken, but they do know they were stolen between December 23rd and January 4th. Hacienda has hired an outside security analyst to inspect all restaurant systems.

If you used a credit card at the Hacienda restaurant at South Bend's Erskine Plaza or in Michigan City over the holidays, double check your statements. A spokesman just confirmed to WSBT their computers were hacked, and some credit card numbers were stolen. Hacienda is not sure how many. Chris Taylor got a call from her credit card company about unusual charges... out of Texas. She and her husband went to the Erskin Plaza restaurant the day after Christmas. "I was very glad that the card company was on top of it," said Taylor.

MISHAWAKA - Mothers beware. People might be complimenting your kids with an ulterior motive. The suspects distract you by admiring your children, then walk away with your wallet.  Two Moms say it happened to them this past Saturday at a burger joint in Mishawaka, and now they want to give other moms a heads up - keep your kid and wallet very close to you at all times. “It's shocking, and makes you realize how much more you have to pay attention to yourselves," said mother Patty Emerson.

LAKETON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A 63-year-old man with stage 4 lymphoma, steady nerves and a double-barreled shotgun thwarted a break-in at his western Michigan home and convinced two suspects to surrender, police said. Dixon Smith said he confronted the two young men just before noon Thursday after they climbed the stairs to the second floor of his home in Muskegon County's Laketon Township. Smith and police believe one of the suspects picked the front door lock with a credit card.

SOUTH BEND -- Your two-year old child could be bankrupt. Your newborn could be thousands of dollars in debt. One in 10 children are victims of identity theft.   The younger the child, the more likely they'll be a victim.   "There's a significant escalation of identity theft with kids,” said Dr. Jesse Hsieh, President of the Board of Trustees at the South Bend Clinic.   Doctors see it, others track it.   According to ALL CLEAR ID, a fraud protection website, identity theft has doubled in the past year for children five years old and younger.

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) - It's Saturday night bingo and Trixie Deluxxe - a very large man wearing a woman's wig, lots of lipstick and a bright blue dress with a scoop neck that accentuates his giant bosom while also exposing a bit of back hair - is calling the numbers. "B8," Deluxxe calls from the small stage that is his perch, pausing barely a millisecond before adding a quip that involves adult humor we aren't allowed to share in a family newspaper. The sellout crowd - which, this night, consists of two bachelorette parties, about 20 massage therapy students and their guests, middle-age moms taking a night off from their families and couples on dates - gasps, groans and giggles.

A (then) 16-year-old who killed his mother's boyfriend two years ago is headed to prison. Josh Smith of Stevensville was sentenced to probation and "boot camp" for the beating death of David Loveland in 2010. He was 15 at the time. But in February of this year, Smith was charged with stealing a credit card and using it. He pleaded guilty in that case. Because Smith violated his probation, a judge sentenced the teenager to 2 to 15 years in prison for manslaughter in the Loveland death.

In this era of rising bank fees, a new type of plastic is gaining ground! It's prepaid debit cards and they do not require a bank account. You can buy them in stores and online. They bear familiar logos like MasterCard and Visa. And like a regular debit card, you can use them to make purchases and to get cash at ATMs. But after examining the extensive terms and conditions of 16 prepaid debit cards, Consumer Reports says that's where the similarity ends. If your prepaid card is lost or stolen or there are errors on your account, you don't have the same legal protections that you do with a traditional debit or credit card.

The Elkhart County Sheriff's Department has released surveillance photos of two persons of interest in several armed robberies. Police say several homes, a school, a business and a church have been robbed. In three of the home invasions the suspects used a gun to threaten residents and demand money. A credit card taken from one of the homes was used at a Marathon station on McKinley Avenue in Mishawaka, according to police. Police released surveillance photos of two men who they say are persons of interest in the crimes.