Police: Credit card info stolen from Delco diner

CONCORD TWP., Pa. - April 17, 2012 (WPVI) -- Inside a dining hot spot in Glen Mills, police say a thief served up a lot of trouble for customers.

Pennsylvania State Police say a hacker was able to install malware into the computer system of Ruby's Diner on Baltimore Pike inside the Brinton Lake Shopping Center.

From December to late March, the thief gained access to customers debit and credit card numbers, made counterfeit cards, and went on spending sprees across the country and internationally.

Victims like Brooke Fennen reported hundreds of dollars worth of fraudulent charges from stores like Target and Walgreens.

"My charge was a $500 charge, that's a lot money to just disappear out of your bank account and it takes up to about two weeks for them to put it back," Fennen said.

Fennen works in the shopping center along with several others who told Action News their accounts were almost cleaned out after repeatedly swiping their credit cards.

"It's not the fault of anyone but whoever stole it, but it certainly makes you think twice about using a debit card," victim Josh Bevan of Springfield said.

Action News spoke with Drexel University Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Rob D'Ovidio who specializes in electronic crimes.

He says it's possible the hacker got into Ruby's system remotely or walked in and installed the malware when no one was looking.

Either way, this type of crime is common.

"Getting access to the malware, you no longer have to a computer expert and program yourself, there are plenty of malware kits out there that can be customized," D'Ovidio

State Police say it doesn't appear to be an inside job by one of the employees but Ruby's launched an investigation and replaced its computer software.

"I love my Ruby's and I love my food so I'm going to keep going. But i do hope [the problem] is fixed," Sam Devlin of Glen Mills said.

Police haven't said how many victims it has but investigators want to hear from those who believe their accounts were compromised.

Pennsylvania State Police say if you have been impacted, please contact your bank or financial institution.

Ruby's Diner Executive Vice President Tad Belshe sent Action News this statement:

Thank you for your inquiry about the unfortunate incident that took place at our Ruby's Diner in Glen Mills. The safety and welfare of our Ruby's Diner guests are our highest priority. We took action as soon as we were notified by law enforcement about a potential data theft from the Ruby's Diner restaurant in Glen Mills, PA and have cooperated fully with law enforcement in their investigation. We performed a complete security check of all computer systems, removed the affected elements, and took appropriate action to ensure and certify that the systems are operating securely to avert the potential for a similar incident in the future..

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