OSAKA -- The Takashimaya department store chain has reissued about 300,000 credit cards in the wake of reports last year of forgeries, it was learned Wednesday. More than 10 cases of fraud involving forged Takashimaya credit cards had been reported every month since last spring, and the number rose steeply after October, according to the company. It said it had received a number of inquiries from credit card holders claiming they had been billed for items they had not purchased. Investigators said they believe the forgers obtained credit card numbers by looking at them while shoppers were paying with the cards. The forgers transfer the numbers onto blank cards through special credit card devices, they said. About 3 million people hold Takashimaya credit cards. Cards the store had issued before last summer that had no antipiracy features were subject to reissue, it said. Takashimaya cards usually bear the holograms of major credit card companies and can be used at other stores, thus the exact number of fraud cases and losses is not known, store officials said. "We apologize to our customers for causing trouble," a Takashimaya official said. "From now on, shoppers do not have to worry and can feel at ease using our credit cards."
