Redmond smoke shop linked to ID theft

More than 100 people have reported they may be victims of a credit-card scam police say operated out of a Redmond smoke shop, a police spokeswoman said.

The 35-year-old owner of Smokers Choice is accused of identity theft and is being held for investigation at King County Jail. Bail was set at $1 million during the man's bail hearing Wednesday in King County District Court.

The Times does not generally name suspects until they are charged. The deadline for King County prosecutors to file charges is today.

Investigators believe that the smoke-shop owner and others used a device called a "skimmer" to steal customers' bank information and copied customers' credit and debit cards in order to withdraw cash from ATMs in Las Vegas and in several cities in California.

Investigators estimate that a total of more than $100,000 has been stolen, according to court documents.

This wasn't a one-person job, said Officer Stacey Holland, Redmond police spokeswoman.

"There had to be a network of people taking this money out because ... it was in various locations," Holland said.

And according to court documents, investigators believe the smoke-shop owner was part of an even larger criminal organization operating in California, Washington, Oregon and Nevada.

Redmond police have been sharing information with the U.S. Secret Service because this is an interstate case, Holland said.

The number of potential victims has climbed steadily since Tuesday when the smoke-shop owner was arrested at his store for investigation of more than 20 incidents of identity theft.

As of Thursday, the number of possible victims had reached more than 100, with more than 60 potential victims who came forward Wednesday and more than 30 e-mail reports that were submitted Thursday morning, Holland said.

"We've continually had victims in every hour on the hour," Holland said about the e-mail reports.

Individuals have lost anywhere from $300 to $3,000 or more, depending on the amount of money they had in the bank, Holland said.

The investigation started in January after detectives traced the initial reports of identity theft to Smokers Choice, Holland said.

One victim told police that after she used her debit/credit card at Smokers Choice, her bank notified her that someone had taken more than $700 from her account at a Las Vegas hotel earlier this month, although she had not recently visited Las Vegas, according to court documents.

She found out that someone had stolen her PIN number to gain access to her bank account.

Two other people reported that someone had withdrawn money at ATM machines in California from their bank accounts after they had used their debit/credit cards at the smoke shop, according to court documents. Other people told similar stories to police.

Anne Kim: 206-464-2591 or akim@seattletimes.com