Crime & Safety

N.J. Credit Card Thefts May Have Hit Bensalem, Police Say

An investigation is underway to determine how many people were allegedly victimized by the theft of their credit card numbers.

Bensalem Police are conducting an investigation to determine if credit card thefts similar to those alleged to have occurred in Camden County, N.J. beginning in July happened at township gas stations. 

Three men were arrested this week for allegedly stealing credit card numbers from customers at a Stratford, N.J. gas station this summer, according to the Camden County, N.J. Prosecutor's Office. 

Bensalem Police are conducting an investigation into similar activities at a local gas station which may be linked to a Philadelphia man who was charged in connection with allegedly stealing the credit card numbers of an estimated 50 people, according to a release from the Camden County, N.J. Prosecutor's Office.  

Find out what's happening in Bensalemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Edgard Venegas, 24, of the 200 block of Gibbsboro Road in Clementon, N.J., and Louis Gonzalez, 33, of the 100 block of Pierce Street in Lindenwold, N.J., were arrested on Tuesday and charged with fraudulent use of a credit card, credit card theft, and criminal use of a scanning device. 

Find out what's happening in Bensalemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mark Chamberlain, 29, of the 700 block of Seventh Street in Philadelphia, was arrested Wednesday and charged with conspiracy to commit theft, credit card theft and criminal use of a scanning device. 

Venegas and Gonzalez were released on summonses and Chamberlain is being held at the Camden County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. 

Chamberlain allegedly recruited the two other defendants, attendants at an Exxon station in Stratford, N.J., to provide him with credit card information in exchange for cash. He is accused of giving them a pocket-sized magnetic electronic card reader that was able to pull a card number, expiration date and CVV code from credit cards’ magnetic strips. 

The two men are charged with using the reader to steal customers’ card information while filling the customers’ gas tanks. Chamberlain is accused of visiting the Stratford Exxon station every few days to download the card information from the reader and then used the information to make purchases. 

Law enforcement are maintaining an open investigation to determine if more were targeted and the value of items charged to victims’ credit cards.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.