Woman Discovers Fraudulent Credit Card Activity After Visiting Tulsa State Fair

A Broken Arrow woman says bogus charges showed up on her credit card after she used it during a trip to the Tulsa State Fair.

Tulsa County deputies are investigating, but they can't say for sure if a vendor at the fair stole the woman's information. They do warn people that they can't be too careful when it comes to using cards instead of cash.

It's fair to say Melanie Bennefeld and her family love when the fair comes to town.

“We spent seven hours here on Friday, four hours on Saturday and five hours on Sunday,” Bennefeld said.

But her trip on Wednesday wasn't to take in the sights, rides or food. Bennefeld's bank called her Sunday concerned about some unusual charges made that day. When she checked her online statement, she said she found her card had racked up about $500 at a Starbucks in Canada.

“I when I go to Starbucks, I don't spend that much,” she said. “People will tell you their coffee's expensive, but it's not that much.”

Bennefeld used her card several times to buy food during her family's weekend trips to the fair. She said there's one charge that never went through, and that's where she thinks her information might have been stolen.

“I don't think a lot of people here at the fair are taking into consideration that they also have to watch their finances and stuff, too,” she said.

TCSO Maj. Shannon Clark said it's too soon to know if a fair vendor is to blame for the fraudulent charges. He said it's possible the card could have been compromised during one of the recent security breaches involving some big box stores.

“They're saying they're having fraudulent charges to credit cards 9, 10, 12 months after the fact,” Clark said.

And while Bennefeld thinks banking information was stolen while at the fair, she said it won't keep her family from coming back.

“[It] will not deter us from coming,” she said. “We just won't use our credit card any longer.”

Clark said when using a card, always get a receipt and watch the transaction and don't let anyone walk away with it. He said that's the best time for crooks to steal the information.