PalmPilot accessory to credit card theft

A year on from the discovery that Palm handhelds can be used by thieves to open infra-red car locks, comes news that at least one shop assistant has apparently been using her Palm to steal credit card details. Tania Ventura, 26, an employee of posh New York department store Bloomingdale's was last week arrested after a shopper spotted her swiping his credit card twice -- once through the till and a second time through a credit card reader attached to a PalmPilot. Ventura was allegedly using her Palm to record customers' credit card numbers with the intention of using them to commit fraud, according to Associated Press. She was charged with criminal possession of forgery devices, computer material and stolen property, and unlawful duplication of computer data. If convicted, she could face up to seven years in the slammer. "[The Palm] is capable of storing thousands of credit card numbers, and obviously this individual was involved in stealing people's credit card numbers to sell or use for fraudulent purposes," said New York Police Commissioner Howard Safir. He also said that this is first time police have seen the practice in New York City, which implies that the practice is rather more widespread than this one case would otherwise suggest. So keep a keen eye on your plastic, folks... ®