Fraudulent charges continue at OK Casey's gas stations, driving customers away
OKLAHOMA COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) - News 4 has been reporting on fraudulent Casey's Convenience Store and Gas Station charges since early September, but three months later and the issue is still prevalent.
Scott Lancaster said he hardly ever goes to Casey's to pump gas unless it's an emergency because his wife was a victim of fraud six months ago.
Well, in early December, he too has now become a victim of fraud.
As he was checking over his bank statement the other day, he noticed a charge that either occurred or was processed on December 3 for $150 at a Casey's in Spencer.
He was in Moore at the time of the purchase, about 18 miles away.
"I don't even know what I would have to have bought for $150, fill up my car or my friend's car, their friends car and weekly groceries," said Lancaster.
He said he never got a notification from his bank concerning the possibility of fraudulent activity, so it was news to him.
He was frustrated, thought it was weird, and scary.
Lancaster told KFOR if he had never checked his bank statement, he would have never noticed the charge.
Lancaster isn't the only one this has happened to.
In early September, News 4 spoke with two other victims who claimed to have been charged at a random Casey's.
One claims to have been charged twice and the other four times, each one totaling $150.
Other victims went as far as to file police reports.
News 4 reached out to Casey's then, a representative saying, "Taking care of our guests is a priority at Casey’s. We encourage our customers to email us at wecare@caseys.com or contact us through caseys.com so that we can address their concerns."
Tuesday afternoon, News 4 reached back out to Casey's with Lancaster's situation.
The statement sent back was nearly identical to the one from September.
A representative did say they're investigating Lancaster's claims, but didn't answer how the business is attempting to mitigate fraudulent activity from happening.
"It's like, what the heck? How does that even happen? So, yeah, it just throws you for a loop," said Lancaster.
Meanwhile, Lancaster posted to social media, explaining his situation and it's nearly gained 100 comments of others sharing similar experiences.
"Same $150 fraud charge 2 weeks ago. Casey’s in Muskogee," one person said.
Another saying, "Got hit with this yesterday as well.. Casey’s in Tulsa for $150 on Saturday but oddly enough I was in Edmond."
Lancaster did report the charge to his bank, True Sky Credit Union and a bank representative has confirmed with KFOR the charge has been reversed.
For True Sky Credit Union customers, a representative said a refund should be expected within two days of a reported fraud.
Lancaster said a credit fraud department representative with True Sky Credit Union told him they're working through 200+ fraud cases tied to Casey's.
However, a bank representative told KFOR that's not accurate.
A specific number of fraudulent cases tied to Casey's couldn't be provided.
"We're consistently analyzing the cases that come in to see if we can pinpoint where maybe those skimming devices are. At this point, with all the cases that we have, we have not been able to pinpoint a specific place where we would be able to work with like enforcement or whatever to be able to remove that skimmer at this time," commented a True Sky Credit Union representative.
The banking representative also believes the issue doesn't lie with Casey's or their bank, that the card holder's information is just being used at the gas station.
The representative encourages everyone to regularly check over their bank statements for anything unusual.
If a fraudulent charge is suspected, you're encouraged to report it to the bank immediately.