Kyle Crain carried out his normal routine this week. He stopped by the 7-Eleven on Santa Barbara Boulevard and Gleason Parkway and bought gas Wednesday. He withdrew cash from their ATM Friday morning. But Friday afternoon he got a call that was out of the ordinary.
His bank called him to tell him someone was spending money from his debit card, even though his card was still in his wallet. He said now he’s struggling to make ends meet.
“They’ve drained what we had left to pay the rest of our bills this week,” said Crain.
Crain said he knew there was a problem yesterday when the bank asked about his purchases at Wawa.
“I said no, I’m still at work. And besides that I don’t think I’ve ever went to a Wawa down here yet,” he said.
The person responsible spent $300 from Crain’s bank account at gas stations across Cape Coral, including the Wawa on on Del Prado Boulevard and Pine Island Road and the 7-Eleven on Pine island and Burnt Store Road.
The suspect used the stolen money for one thing.
“Someone pumped 35 gallons of fuel, diesel fuel two different transactions $100 each,” he said referring to the Wawa purchases.
And Crain’s money was used to buy another $100 worth of fuel at the 7-Eleven on Pine Island Road.
Crain filed a police report and canceled his card before the suspect could make another purchase at the 7-11 on Trafalgar Parkway and Chiquita Boulevard this morning.
Police are still investigating how the money was stolen and for what, but based on the the diesel purchases, Crain said he thinks the suspect could be using it to fill up a big truck or boat.
Crain said even though the 7-Eleven on Gleason Parkway has skimmer protection, he’s going to avoid paying at the pump and ATM’s, just to stay on the safe side. And he recommends others do the same.
“It’s a nice convenience to be able to pay at the pump, but I would highly suggest, don’t do it! Don’t use an ATM. Go into the bank, speak with a teller. Get your money that way,” he said.
The manager of 7-Eleven on Gleason said there’s a problem with the PIN pad at the pump Crain used this week and it’s currently out of service. But she said she doesn’t think his information was compromised there.
Crain said he’s not entirely sure where his card was compromised, but said he wants whoever is responsible to pay for it.
“Obviously they’re too lazy to work for their own money, and they would rather take someone else’s money. This person needs to be caught,” he said.
CORRECTION: The correct name of the victim in this story is Kyle Crain.
