Police: Waiters, Waitresses Paid To Rip Off Central Florida Diners
POSTED: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
UPDATED: 9:35 am EDT October 4,2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Agents arrested nine people Wednesday accused of being part of a scam that involved waiters and waitresses in Central Florida being paid to steal diners' credit card numbers and other identification.
PHOTOS: Local Men Arrested In Sting
The Orlando Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation said restaurant workers involved in the crime operation used a skimmer to steal information."And then they had software and they would encode that number on to a magnetic strip and they would go out and make purchases," MBI Lt. Carl Metzger said. "It is all about the money and the greed."Nine of the 13 people indicted in the case were arrested Wednesday, including Robert Hardwick. Hardwick is accused of being a key player in the operation.The group was also charged with trafficking large amounts of cocaine into Apopka and parts of Central Florida.Authorities said the men were counterfeiting money and spending the bills at local 7-Eleven, Best Buy and Winn Dixie stores.The arrests were a result of an 18-month sting operation."We brought in all of our technology into this case," Metzger said. "We brought in physical surveillance and it's paid off here in the end."Investigators were not sure how many people were victimized by the scam and which restaurants were involved.Agents said some of the restaurant employees were getting paid $25 to $50 for each credit card number they stole.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
PHOTOS: Local Men Arrested In Sting The Orlando Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation said restaurant workers involved in the crime operation used a skimmer to steal information."And then they had software and they would encode that number on to a magnetic strip and they would go out and make purchases," MBI Lt. Carl Metzger said. "It is all about the money and the greed."Nine of the 13 people indicted in the case were arrested Wednesday, including Robert Hardwick. Hardwick is accused of being a key player in the operation.The group was also charged with trafficking large amounts of cocaine into Apopka and parts of Central Florida.Authorities said the men were counterfeiting money and spending the bills at local 7-Eleven, Best Buy and Winn Dixie stores.The arrests were a result of an 18-month sting operation."We brought in all of our technology into this case," Metzger said. "We brought in physical surveillance and it's paid off here in the end."Investigators were not sure how many people were victimized by the scam and which restaurants were involved.Agents said some of the restaurant employees were getting paid $25 to $50 for each credit card number they stole.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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