Credit card scam targets 330 on Navy base

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- At least 330 customers at a Chili's restaurant on a U.S. Navy base in Japan were hit by fraudulent charges in a credit card hacking scam, officials said.

The victims, customers at the Yokosuka Naval Base Chili's, have reported about $190,000 in fraudulent charges to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service since the investigation started Oct. 4, the Stars and Stripes reported.

The number of victims is expected to grow. More of the restaurant's customers could be victimized and some might have reported fraudulent charges only to their banks or credit unions, officials said.

It remained unclear when the hacking of the restaurant's credit card server occurred, but Chili's officials said in a statement this month it happened "somewhere most likely outside of Japan."

Fraudulent charges were continuing to appear on customers' statements in the past week, the Stars and Stripes reported Monday.

"Patrons are reminded to continue to monitor their credit card activities closely and to make sure that any case of credit card fraud is brought to the attention of your bank and NCIS as soon as possible," base spokeswoman Michelle Stewart said in a statement Monday.

Chili's Yokosuka said it would be "installing a new system with increased security measures to further protect our guests from future credit card fraud."