PRESS RELEASE
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office has recently seen a major increase in the number of reported credit card compromise cases reported. Other area Sheriff’s Offices and Police Departments have also seen
a similar increase. Over 100 new cases of credit card fraud have been reported to LCSO within the last month.

Detectives with the Financial Crimes Unit have been working with banks, victims and other agencies recently and discovered one source of a security breach by examining usage patterns. A local
restaurant, Julie’s Place, which is located at 2901 North Monroe Street, was determined to have been compromised and was at least one location where the credit card information was being stolen.

The computer system at Julie’s Place had been accessed from outside the system and credit card information was being re-routed to an unknown suspect over the internet. This information was then
used around the country to purchase goods by suspects familiar with this process. Victims of this scheme have been both local repeat customers and those traveling through the Tallahassee area. The
management at Julie’s Place and the provider of their security software worked with the Sheriff’s Office to find the breach and stop it. Julie’s Place has since installed new measures to prevent this type of
breach from re-occurring. Local banking institutions have responded by issuing new credit cards to any customers who were potentially compromised. This theft has resulted in the loss of at least $200,000
at the current time and the investigation is ongoing.

Restaurant owners can help combat this type of theft by using a good Point of Sale Vendor with PCI compliant hardware and software. Security should be maintained by limiting wireless access to the
office computer and using good virus software. Restaurant owners should also ensure that their staff is working with the latest security updates for their computer systems. Customers should also routinely
check their statements to confirm all the transactions on their cards are valid and immediately report any discrepancies to their banking institution.