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Odessa Family Loses Debit Card, Over $1,000 to Local Restaurant Server 11/28/09


Jordan Reagan
CBS 7 News
November 28, 2009


We're in the midst of the holiday shopping season, but one Odessa family is over $1,000 short after falling victim to identity theft.

This family shared a post-Thanksgiving meal at a local restaurant, and when the husband picked up the bill on his credit card, he never got it back.

By the time they realized their card was missing, their supper for three ended up costing them a lot more than they could have ever expected.

Local business-owner Rennai Geers had supper with her parents last night to wrap up the Thanksgiving holiday.

"They paid for their meal with a credit card. Well, they didn't realize that they didn't receive their credit card back,” Geers said.

The card was allegedly kept by their server, who went on a shopping spree at their expense at local convenience stores and 24-hour pharmacies.

"This person was going in to these facilities, and using the credit card 2 or 3 times,” Geers said.

By the time she was done, over $1,000 had been spent on items such as children's Christmas gifts, several tanks of gas, a television set and cigarettes. But their server wasn't a stranger. The 18 year-old had gone to school with Geers' son and knew the whole family on a first-name basis.

"We find out who they are, we know who they are, we know where they work, we know where they live, and it's sad that somebody who we associate ourselves with has done this to us,” Geers said.

Surveillance footage at the CVS Pharmacy caught the alleged theft and another woman purchasing several items on the card. Police have asked us not to air the video until they open the investigation on Monday. But not once during the purchase were they asked to provide identification with the card.

"Walmart, Walgreens, or any of these places, if you use your debit card or your credit card, and they don't ask to see your ID. They never do,” Geers said.

She says the extra time it would have taken to check an ID could have saved them the money they lost.

"I don't know who's gonna eat the bill in the beginning - if it's gonna be us, if it's gonna be these merchants, or if it's gonna be the bank,” Geers said.

But in the end, somebody's going to have to pay for the crime.

"Times are hard for everybody. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna go out and steal somebody's credit card and charge up for my kid's Christmas, either,” Geers said.

I spoke with the local restaurant owner over the phone today, who says the server alleged in the crime resigned her position at the restaurant earlier today. Geers says police have not yet made an arrest.

Here are some tips to remember while shopping this holiday season, to keep something like this from happening to you:

-Never photocopy or write down your credit card number. Always keep it a close-guarded secret.

-If you have multiple credit cards, don't carry them all in your wallet or purse at the same time, just carry what you know you'll need.

-Also, never leave any store or restaurant without your card. Always double check to see if you have it before you leave.

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