Aiken man pleads guilty to stealing credit card numbers

By T&D StaffTuesday, May 08, 2007

An Aiken man was ordered to repay thousands of dollars after he pleaded guilty last week to using his position at a retail store to gain access to customers’ credit card numbers.Kyle David Baldwin, 28, of 405 Independent Boulevard, pleaded guilty to breach of trust in General Sessions court in Orangeburg. Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein sentenced Baldwin to 30 days in prison, suspended to five years of probation.Baldwin was also ordered to perform 40 hours of public service and repay $4,942.54 to several customers of Belk in the Prince of Orange Mall. The man swiped the credit card information from three customers to make purchases between November 2001 and January 2002.Unfortunately for him, there was a paper trial left that led back to him.According to statistics kept by the Federal Trade Commission, more than 2,400 people became victims of identity theft in South Carolina last year.In an unrelated case, Lamand R. Russell, 27, of 725 Hesseman St., Holly Hill, pleaded guilty to failure to stop for a blue light and was sentenced to one year, suspended to six months of probation.Russell must also perform 10 hours of public service.

BPNA launches two new MasterCard credit cards

27th April 2007

By Julia Chan

Chicago-based financial services provider Banco Popular North America has introduced two new credit card products in collaboration with credit card issuer MasterCard, namely the Banco Popular platinum MasterCard card and the Banco Popular classic MasterCard card.

The Banco Popular platinum MasterCard is an unsecured program offering an introductory 0% APR for balance transfers for six to 12 months. In addition, the card has no annual fee and automatically enrolls qualifying customers into the Popular rewards loyalty program. Other benefits include car rental insurance and purchase assurance.

The Banco Popular Classic MasterCard secured program, which is aimed at customers with little or no credit history, as well as customers wishing to rebuild their credit history, also has no annual fee and customers receive the same card benefits as the platinum cardholders enjoy. However, these accounts are secured by opening an interest-bearing Banco Popular North America (BPNA) savings account with a minimum deposit of $500 and a maximum of $5,000. The credit limit matches the deposit dollar for dollar.

Other benefits of the new MasterCard offerings include a MasterCard zero liability policy for fraudulent activity, access to 1.2 million ATMs globally, worldwide acceptance at more than 25 million locations, and a bilingual customer service.