Eleven Chinese Students’ Credit Card Info Stolen
BUPD advises monitoring accounts, contacting bank
Students with Bank of China credit cards and those with cards from other Chinese banks are urged to monitor their accounts, following an apparent security breach. Photo by Flickr contributor SimonQ錫濛譙
Eleven BU students from China have had confidential credit card information stolen this month, say Boston University Police, who advise Chinese students to monitor their accounts for suspicious activity.
The fraudulent use of the cards apparently resulted from hackers breaching the students’ bank accounts in China, says Detective Lieutenant Peter DiDomenica of the BU Police Department. In each case, the students’ cards were issued by the Bank of China. DiDomenica says the BUPD doesn’t know if credit cards issued by other banks in China have been affected as well.
Students with Bank of China accounts should contact the bank for advice on whether they need a new card or account, he advises, while customers of other Chinese banks should also keep an eye on their accounts. “Anything suspicious, contact the bank right away,” he says.
Card information from the victimized students was used for purchases in Las Vegas, New Jersey, Michigan, and Canada, says DiDomenica, who is preparing a report for the US Secret Service to help it investigate the matter. It’s likely that Chinese students at other campuses have had their cards compromised as well, he says.
The BUPD received the first report about the problem on October 9. The most recent incident was reported on Friday, October 24.
Any students who believe that they have been the victim of credit card fraud are urged to immediately contact the issuing bank or company and then contact the BUPD at 353-2121 to arrange to file a police report.
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