Credit Card

Any time a customer swipes their credit or debit card, merchants can incur fees of up to 35% of the purchase. But for the merchants who belong to the National Merchants Assn., which recently made the 3,700-mile move from Anchorage to Burbank, it doesn’t have to be that way. “We actually operate as an association,” said Heather Petersen, chief executive of the association. “What that means is, we are the only association registered with Visa and MasterCard in the whole entire United States.

Amber Willard AIRPORT DISTRICT -- A 48-year-old Los Angeles woman was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon at Burbank Airport after she allegedly attacked an airline employee. Gloria J. Stewart tried to use a credit card to purchase a Southwest Airlines ticket to Las Vegas at 10:20 a.m. Thursday and became upset when an employee cut up the card under after being alerted by the woman's bank that it was invalid, police said. Stewart allegedly lunged at the employee, who was behind a counter, and fell down, Lt. Bob Giles said.

Lolita Harper MEDIA CITY CENTER -- A 20-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested June 8 on suspicion of burglary after greed tempted him to return to the scene of his first crime, police said. Steven Ramirez successfully bought a $2,051.98 digital versatile disk system from Sears Roebuck and Co. earlier in the day by allegedly using stolen credit card information, Burbank Police Sgt. Bill Taylor said. However, when he went back for more goods, store employees became suspicious and called the police.

Lolita Harper SOUTH SAN FERNANDO DISTRICT -- Breaking the law is hardly a laughing matter, but some criminals' plans are so poorly planned even police have to crack a smile. Two men were arrested Friday at Comp USA, 761 N. San Fernando Blvd., after allegedly trying to buy laptop computers -- one right after the other -- from the same clerk and by using the same fraudulent credit card information, police said. "They were obviously not rocket scientists," Burbank Police Sgt. John Dilibert said.

Bill Lockyer Despite historic lows in violent crime rates, Californians today are more at risk than ever of becoming a victim of crime. The fastest growing crime wave in our state and America today is the crime of identity theft. An estimated 750,000 Americans per year are victims of identity theft schemes, up from 40,000 in 1992 -- an 18-fold increase. What makes identity theft so devastating is the ease with which criminals can perpetrate the offense and the enormous damage that can be inflicted upon its victims.

Transactions will boost donations For the next two months, Lockheed Federal Credit Union will make a donation to the American Red Cross for credit card or signature-based transactions. Each time one of its 100,000 members use a Lockheed Federal Credit Union Visa or make a credit card purchase with a Visa Check Card, the credit union will make a donation, which officials estimate will be more than $40,000. The donations will be made to benefit relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast.

NORTHWEST DISTRICT 800 block of N. Victory Blvd.: A 31-year-old Huntington Park man and an 18-year-old Los Angeles man were arrested Thursday on suspicion of selling stolen a video camera. Police said the two men struck a KNBC cameraman on the head on Francis Street in Los Angeles and stole his video camera. Shortly before 5 p.m. police said the men tried to sell the camera to a Burbank business. An employee of the business phoned police after he became suspicious.

Simple tips to shoppers can keep thieves and rip-off artists at bay this holiday season.DOWNTOWN BURBANK -- As shoppers head to the malls and department stores this holiday season, area police have a strong piece of advice: if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. While thieves operate year-round, the holiday shopping season provides more opportunity for them to steal money, credit cards and personal information, Burbank Police Det....

Salvation Army Burbank kicked off its ubiquitous red kettle fundraising campaign Monday, with organizers hoping to do far better than last year, when donations came in well below expectations. This year, the local Salvation Army wants to raise $70,000 to help pay for community programs throughout the coming year. “Last year, we didn't make anywhere near it,” Lt. Kari Rudd of Salvation Army Burbank Corps Community Center said. “There was a huge rain storm the last few weeks [of the year]

We’ve all felt it, that nagging worry about your bank account. The bills never stop. Maybe this will be the charge that gets declined on the credit card, the week the manager cuts part-time hours. That COBRA health insurance option from the previous job is rapidly depleting the savings account. These days, there seems to be an unlimited number of economic stressors that invade our thoughts, and for some, the burden can become too heavy. Some clinical experts have speculated that all the financial worry has contributed to an increase in suicides so far this year.

Authorities are looking for a woman they suspect of stealing wallets from three women as they shopped in the Santa Clarita Valley, later using their credit cards to buy jewelry and get cash. Three women reported their wallets were stolen from their purses in separate incidents Saturday as they shopped at various grocery stores, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. Following the thefts, the victims' credit cards were used to purchase expensive jewelry and withdraw cash from various banks, authorities said.

Re: “ Crime motivates Walmart opposition ,” Mailbag, Sept. 26. The letter writer says, “The type of people the store (Walmart) attracts and the crime would be bad for the rest of the businesses in that area,” meaning the Empire Center. She goes on to say we have a Costco, Target and a Kmart nearby. Well, I was in line in the Kmart store on Wednesday with three women together in line ahead of me. They bought $96 worth of merchandise, argued with the cashier over the total, and they tried to pay for it with a bogus credit card.

As someone who does pretty much does everything online besides tying my shoelaces, it didn't come as a shock that more and more people are shopping for their next pet online. As long as I have a name and a credit card to go along with it, I can click a button and instantaneously, my pup is on its way. These days, the consumer is ultra-savvy. With the emergence of social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, businesses and consumers have a direct line of communication and know more about each other.

Salvation Army Burbank kicked off its ubiquitous red kettle fundraising campaign Monday, with organizers hoping to do far better than last year, when donations came in well below expectations. This year, the local Salvation Army wants to raise $70,000 to help pay for community programs throughout the coming year. “Last year, we didn't make anywhere near it,” Lt. Kari Rudd of Salvation Army Burbank Corps Community Center said. “There was a huge rain storm the last few weeks [of the year]

Should Rep. Adam Schiff be defended? For that matter, should President Obama be held liable for the national deficit, the stimulus plan, the bloated budget and the health-care-cost trends? In his March 10 letter, “Representative trying to kill the economy,” Brian Stauffer expressed his fear of more deficits and demanded fiscal prudence for the sake of the future of our nation. I fully agree with his sentiments. Washington seems to have forsaken our financial future.

Any time a customer swipes their credit or debit card, merchants can incur fees of up to 35% of the purchase. But for the merchants who belong to the National Merchants Assn., which recently made the 3,700-mile move from Anchorage to Burbank, it doesn’t have to be that way. “We actually operate as an association,” said Heather Petersen, chief executive of the association. “What that means is, we are the only association registered with Visa and MasterCard in the whole entire United States.

We’ve all felt it, that nagging worry about your bank account. The bills never stop. Maybe this will be the charge that gets declined on the credit card, the week the manager cuts part-time hours. That COBRA health insurance option from the previous job is rapidly depleting the savings account. These days, there seems to be an unlimited number of economic stressors that invade our thoughts, and for some, the burden can become too heavy. Some clinical experts have speculated that all the financial worry has contributed to an increase in suicides so far this year.

Simple tips to shoppers can keep thieves and rip-off artists at bay this holiday season.DOWNTOWN BURBANK -- As shoppers head to the malls and department stores this holiday season, area police have a strong piece of advice: if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. While thieves operate year-round, the holiday shopping season provides more opportunity for them to steal money, credit cards and personal information, Burbank Police Det....

Transactions will boost donations For the next two months, Lockheed Federal Credit Union will make a donation to the American Red Cross for credit card or signature-based transactions. Each time one of its 100,000 members use a Lockheed Federal Credit Union Visa or make a credit card purchase with a Visa Check Card, the credit union will make a donation, which officials estimate will be more than $40,000. The donations will be made to benefit relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast.

Jackson Bell When a man walked into Cinema Secrets with the intent of purchasing a disguise, owner Maurice Stein sensed he might be up to something illegal. So Stein, the son of a police officer, followed his instincts and called the Burbank Police Department, telling them that the man in his makeup and costume store might have ill intentions. After a 48-hour investigation prompted by Stein's call, police arrested Brian Scott Bennett on Oct. 22 on suspicion of planning to kidnap his 6-year-old son and attempting to change his and the boy's identities.