Credit Card Fraud Strikes Sierra Madre Gas Station, Scams 380

Sierra Madre residents are scratching their heads and clutching to their pocketbooks as detectives have uncovered 380 victims of credit card fraud at a gas station in the city.

The investigation, which has eyes on a man allegedly in possession of a clone card which was used at a Montebello bank, has tabulated overall losses at $109,000. Clone cards copy a person’s debit or credit card information to the fake card, enabling them to be used anywhere.  Police say that skimmers were also used to gather credit card information.

Police say that 75 percent of all victims in the case are local residents that have used their cards at the EVG Quality Gas station on Baldwin Avenue. The station’s owner, Evgeny Yakimenko, has not been seen since the station closed. Not much is known about the man, but police are looking to question him.

The first case of fraud was reported on December 27. If you used your card at the station recently and have been scammed, you can report fraud at the Sierra Madre police station. For more information regarding the matter, call (626) 355-1414.