Frankfort Police Warn Residents Of Credit Card Scam

FRANKFORT, IL — Frankfort Police is advising residents to be cautious after it has received reports about individuals approaching people in parking lots for donations, which then leads to credit card scams.

Police said the individuals ask for your credit card for a donation and then charge far more than what you've agreed to donate, or use your card number for additional transactions.

"We love seeing our community lend a helping hand, but please be cautious when giving out your credit card information," police said. "Scammers are getting bolder and more convincing."

New Lenox Police said an incident happened in town outside the Jewel on Laraway Road on June 8. Two hours later, a similar incident took place at Jewel in Frankfort.

Frankfort Police said two incidents were reported where individuals were approached in the JEwel parking lot to assist with a hardship claim. The individuals did provide their credit card and unauthorized charges were made.

"This is a crime trend in our region right now," Police Chief Leanne Chelepis said.

In the New Lenox incident, a woman was nearly scammed out of $5,000. A woman told police that they had been approached by two men asking for money to finance a funeral.

The woman offered the men $20 cash, but the men refused it, stating it was illegal for them to receive cash. They told the victim they could accept a credit card transaction, to which the victim agreed. One of the men told the victim that he needed to enter a PIN to complete the transaction, and took the woman’s phone to do so.

When the phone was handed back, the woman noticed both the $20 charge and an unauthorized $5,000 transaction on their card, according to reports.

The men then fled to a nearby vehicle and left the area. The victim contacted the bank and the transactions were canceled, police said.

Frankfort Police said residents can call the police department if they are unsure of a legitimate transaction.

Patch editor Lauren Traut contributed to this report.