KCSD: Taco Bell workers stole card nos.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Two employees of West Michigan fast-food restaurants stole perhaps as many as hundreds of customers' credit or debit card numbers this month, according to court documents and investigators.

In a court filing, a Kent County sheriff's investigator said the two used "skimming" devices that let thieves keep the card number while customers walk away with the card itself.

The employees at area Taco Bell restaurants are accused of targeting drive-through customers, 24 Hour News 8 has learned, which allowed them to hide the fact that they were running the cards twice: once for payment, and another time through the skimming device to steal the number.

Investigators said card numbers were stolen at the restaurants located at 607 Leonard Street NW, near U.S. 131, and at 560 28th Street SE, between Division and Eastern avenues.

And they're investigating possible breaches at the 6728 Kalamazoo Avenue SE and 2829 28th Street SE locations. But investigators said the criminals have been stopped.

Roger Torres, 41, of Gaines Township, gave the skimming devices to the two employees, according to the court filing made by a sheriff's detective.

Torres is charged with two felonies: conducting criminal enterprises and possessing a fradulent financial transaction device. He has been released on bond, but Torres was not at home Friday afternoon when 24 Hour News 8 stopped by to give him a chance to respond.

Investigators said the 41-year-old confessed to getting the skimming devices from Onil Rivas Perez. Perez, 36, of Byron Township, is charged with four felonies: conducting criminal enterprises and three counts of stealing or retaining a financial transaction device without consent. He remains in the Kent County jail.

The two Taco Bell employees themselves, whose full names were not given in the investigator's report, have not yet been charged.

Investigators said they arrested Torres after looking into a series of credit or debit card fraud complaints. Someone was using stolen credit or debit card numbers placed on "dummy" cards to purchase prepaid Visa gift cards at area Meijer stores.

Based on information from the company's loss prevention department, sheriff's investigators said the suspect frequented the Gaines Township Meijer.

And after watching the store undercover, investigators spotted a man they identify as Torres using a card with a stolen number to try to buy a prepaid Visa card there.

Torres said he was offered $10,000 to distribute the skimming devices and have them filled with credit card information, according to the report.

Anyone who believes his or her number was stolen should contact his or her credit card company.