A Grand Forks, B.C., man was arrested on Christmas Eve in connection to credit card fraud, according to police.
Grand Forks RCMP say the bust happened at a hotel unit on Highway 3 following information of fraudulent credit card use.
A 34-year-old man was arrested inside the unit, police say, with officers seizing various items related to credit card fraud, including blank chip cards, a card reader and lists with data for credit cards.
The man is expected to make his first court appearance in early 2020.
“A common fraud that we are seeing in the area is the card not present fraud,” explained RCMP Sgt. Darryl Peppler.
“This is where a person will enter a business and make purchases, but instead of producing a credit card, they advise they forgot it and recite the card from memory.
“The payment is often accepted initially but eventually the card is reported stolen and the merchant receives a charge back weeks to months later, and must put back the amount charged on the stolen credit card, meaning the business is out the money and the items sold.”
For more information on how to protect yourself from fraud, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or click here.