Crime & Safety

15 Identity Theft Cases Linked to Treasure Island, Police Say

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating 15 cases of identity theft that appeared to originate with the computer system at the grocery store at 911 Ridge Rd. in Wilmette.

The United States Secret Service is investigating at least 15 cases of identity theft that appear to originate with a compromised computer system at the Treasure Island grocery store located at 911 Ridge Rd. in Wilmette, according to police.

"Treasure Island is the path that is being investigated by the Secret Service," Wilmette Police Commander Patrick Collins said. "All we know is that ... the Secret Service said that there was a compromise to the Treasure Island computer service."

He explained that the Secret Service is handling the case, although Wilmette police are still taking reports and assisting residents with documenting the fraud for insurance and bank purposes. 

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"We've sent out a crime alert asking people to check their credit card accounts and report if they notice any unauthorized charges," he said. "Most businesses and banks want to see some sort of police documentation."

Between March 1 and April 9, 15 people reported that their credit card numbers had been used fraudulently after they shopped at Treasure Island, according to Wilmette Police. The stolen numbers were used in Texas, Indiana and New York, police said.

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For individuals who suspect their credit card has been fraudulently used, the Federal Trade Commission recommends following three steps:

  1. report the fraud to one of the three national credit reporting companies (contact information is available here)
  2. request a copy of your credit report to determine if any other fraud has occurred  
  3. file an identity theft report with the FTC and your local police department. 


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