Police probe into behavior at bar

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Police are seeking additional complaints against a Buffalo bar owner accused of using a patron's credit card.

The Buffalo Police probe comes in the wake of a News 4 investigation into alleged credit card abuse at Roxy's Bar.

B-District Chief Brian Patterson said, "We are interested in probing what else is out there. The investigation remains open and we are going to sweat the details and make sure that the allegations and accusations are vetted appropriately, so that we can have the appropriate outcomes."

MORE | After our initial report, more patrons came forward, saying their credit cards had also been stolen after a night out at the bar

Some patrons of Roxy's have complained that their credit cards left at the bar for open tabs, were fraudulently used by others Some had left Roxy's for the night, forgetting their cards were on the bar. One patron claims her card disappeared the same night.

"This past March, I went in to close my tab out around 6 o'clock in the evening, and, as I went to close out my tab, they had lost my debit card," the woman said.

She says the bartenders all looked beneath the bar and on top of the bar, "And then I witnessed, I don't know whether it was the bartender or bouncer, actually check inside of her shirt to see if the credit card was there, and it came up empty."

The woman says she immediately called her bank and canceled her card. The attorney for Roxy's owner Julia Greenwood had this comment on the incident:

"They're false allegations, unproven. My client denies it and she's innocent," said attorney Jay Kim Welch.

Chief Patterson said, "Folks should always call 911, make a phone call to the police if you're in a situation where you feel your credit card has been used unlawfully. We want to hear about them."

Carissa Dirado of Consumer Credit Counseling Service added, "My advice would be to stay with your credit card if possible, so if somebody was to use a credit card for the transaction, the waitress will usually leave with it and come back right away. In that scenario, that's fine. But in a scenario where you're leaving your credit card for a long period of time, that would cause a red flag."

For more information on how to keep your credit card from falling into the wrong hands, and what to do should the worst happen, follow this link.