PETERS TOWNSHP, Pa. — A Peters Township high school student was arrested and charged with nearly 60 counts of fraud and identity theft after investigators say he stole people’s Giant Eagle Fuel Perks information.
Police say 18-year-old Paul Kostanich used the dark web to purchase email addresses and passwords for 19 different accounts, and then cashed in Fuel Perks at Get Go.
Investigators say he drove his family vehicle to the GetGo in McMurray and used his own debit card for the transactions. He then allegedly used Giant Eagle’s Fuel Perks app to use the stolen information.
The investigation started after an Ohio woman contacted Giant Eagle when she noticed her points had disappeared. Peter’s Township Police say the 19 victims are from across Pennsylvania and Ohio.
“She noticed a lot of Perks were taken out of her account. At that time, she contacted Giant Eagle and they advised there was [a] fraudulent transaction and where that transaction occurred and how much of her perks were stolen,” said Corporal Conor Wohlfarth. “We believe he did access some part of the dark web to obtain these transactions from the victim’s accounts, which did include their emails and passwords. He was able to purchase each individual account.”
Police worked closely with Giant Eagle Fraud Prevention workers to notify each victim. Police tell Channel 11 they believe there was a data breach at some point, and encourage customers to check their accounts.
A spokesperson for Giant Eagle issued a statement on the situation saying:
“We appreciate the value Giant Eagle customers realize through our myPerks loyalty program and understand the importance of protecting the perks in one’s account. We encourage all customers to take steps to secure information associated with any retailer loyalty cards they may have, including their Giant Eagle loyalty card. These steps include monitoring your rewards balances closely, which Giant Eagle customers can do easily by downloading the Giant Eagle mobile app, frequently updating your accounts with new, strong passwords, and ensuring that the same password is not used across multiple customer accounts. At Giant Eagle, we take account security extremely seriously and take steps to protect our customers’ myPerks rewards. If a customer has questions regarding their rewards, they should reach out to the Giant Eagle Customer Care team for assistance with their account.”
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