Detectives issue supplemental report regarding residents' compromised bank information

Lawrenceburg authorities have issued supplemental information regarding recent incidents during which bank account information of local residents was compromised.

Officers with the Lawrenceburg Police Department spoke with officials at local banks a week ago in the wake of a rash of fraud incidents involving bank customers. Community Bank/Bank of Waynesboro reported that debit card information of sixty-three customers had been compromised.

Settling all of the incidents had cost the bank around $13,000. Similar breaches were reported at People's Bank where losses totaled $2,500, at Lawrenceburg Federal Bank, and at First Farmers and Merchants Bank where loss was said to total $12,000.

The report showed that bank officials had indicated, "The owner of the carwash was doing nothing to correct the issue," and in order to prevent future breaches, "the business' merchant code had been blocked for all Bank of Waynesboro customers."

Once the story was reported on Lawrenceburg Now, other "news" agencies copied the story, adding additional information and naming the carwash to be Tietgens Turbo Tunnel on North Locust Avenue, and identifying the owner as Mark Tietgens.

As a result, detectives with the police department did some additional investigating, generating a supplemental report, and the Tietgens family has released a statement, clarifying the matter. They are as follows:

Supplemental Police Report:

On 8-16-2017 Detectives with the Lawrenceburg Police Department met with Mark Tietgens to discuss the report filed on behalf of The Bank of Waynesboro on 8-11-2017. After speaking with Tietgens and his attorney, it was discovered that Mark Tietgens (owner and operator of Tietgens Turbo Tunnel) had implemented several security strategies and precautions as far back as May, 2017 when the City of Lawrenceburg began to experience an influx of credit card reader skimmers which were being used to secretly obtain paying customers' credit/debit card information to be fraudulently used later on for fraudulent purchases.

Tietgens Turbo Tunnel then, in May, began to physically check their payment machines several times a day. Tietgens also contracted their third party credit/debit card processing companies to ensure that they were fully protected and had not been hacked or experienced a leak of information on their end or through either company's end with pertinent and sensitive customer information.

At this time, Tietgens continues to perform security checks both physically and through their computer software systems and through both of their third party credit/debit card processing companies. At this time there appears to have been no hack or leak of information from Tietgens Turbo Tunnel.

When Detectives attempted to gain information from the Bank of Waynesboro on 8-15-2017, they were advised by an employee of Bank of Waynesboro that no information would be given. Unable to gather any crucial information on this matter from the bank at this time, the case has been closed.

Statement of Tietgens' Family Businesses In Our Community:

Apparently, several months ago criminals passing through town may have stolen credit card information from some customers at local merchants. We appreciate local law enforcement, banking officials, and media warning us all that skimmers were beginning to show up in our community. These devices attach to credit card readers almost undetectably and steal information from cards used in those readers while the skimmer is attached.

Once this new potential problem with credit card security came to light in May, we immediately instituted more stringent physical inspection processes that police and banks recommended. We continue to conduct those inspections multiple times daily.

Also in May, we contacted the companies responsible for our software and credit card processing. They ran tests to check the security of our system and told us that we were not hacked. Still, we instructed those companies to increase their monitoring of our systems and double their regular weekly testing to ensure that our customer information is not compromised in the future.

We do not believe we had a situation of theft. Regardless, the illegal attempts of these criminals, we believe, were limited to several months ago. However, we certainly understand the very real threat to the security of private information facing us all as business owners and customers. For that reason, we are doing everything in our power to protect our customers.

Recent allegations that we have done nothing to address, correct or prevent these issues are blatantly false and we take them very personally. We are disappointed that a local bank headquartered in a neighboring county would sink to such levels of accusation and finger pointing. It is beneath the dignity of that institution. Nevertheless, we have requested that bank to provide us with further specific information and facts that lead them to believe we have a problem, whether in the recent past or ongoing. They have refused or are unable to provide us that information, perhaps because they have none.

On behalf of his family and in response to this situation, Mark Tietgens said: “I want to personally assure all our friends and customers that during our 40 years in business we have always taken every precaution to protect your financial information and will continue to do so in the future. Our family takes pride in being a member of the Lawrence County community since 1992. We have happily raised our children here, participated in our schools, local activities and church. Over the last 25 years our family businesses have employed more than one thousand people here in Lawrence County, many are even second generation. We always have and always will proudly take care of our customers with the utmost care, protection and respect. We appreciate all your continued support and business!”