Douglas Food City shoppers not in danger of fraud

Many Bashas'/Food City customers across Arizona have been targeted with identity theft after using their credit card or debit card following purchases at one of their stores.

Bashas’ stores had a cyber-attack in June or July 2012 on the stores online system which contained customer’s payment information.

This is how authorities say criminals obtain such information.

Pinal County was the first of several law enforcement agencies to report these incidents.

On Feb. 6, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office released a statement regarding the incident.

“On Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office began receiving numerous reports of fraudulent credit and debit card use/transactions. As of this morning (Feb. 6), our office has received over 400 reported cases,” the release states.

Many victims have reported their cards are being used outside of Arizona. Some have even reported them being used in other countries such as Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

According to Douglas Food City Manager Martin Mendoza, he doesn’t feel this would be a problem at the Douglas store.

“Bashas’ released a statement last year telling everyone this could happen at any store,” he added. “These people are not only targeting Bashas’ or Food City they are targeting many other stores.”

The FBI is investigating along with federal, city and state authorities.

The Bashas' Family of Stores includes four distinct formats: Bashas', Bashas' Diné, AJ's Fine Foods and Food City. The company has more than 130 stores in Arizona, as well as Needles, California, and Crownpoint, New Mexico.

Authorities urged residents to closely monitor financial records for any signs of fraud or identity theft, and report it to law enforcement if they do.