Residents say 41 people in the town of Queen Valley have been hit by credit card crooks

QUEEN VALLEY, AZ - In the small, sleepy town of Queen Valley there's a big concern over their financial security.

According to those who live there, 41 residents in the town of 1,400 have been hit by credit card thieves in the past couple weeks.

"I thought it was just me, then I was chatting with a neighbor and she told me about another neighbor and another neighbor and it just snowballed," said Christy Coolidge.

Coolidge is the president of the homeowners' association and was drafting a fraud alert for her neighbors.

"Yes, yes it made me feel better that I wasn't alone, but it's still concerning, I'm just glad my card company caught it," said Coolidge while holding the alert she plans to post in the HOA's newsletter.

Coolidge said her credit card company called her moments after a person in New York used her credit card to buy more than $400 worth of gift cards.

"My credit card company caught it so fast that they were even able to turn off the gift cards from being used," said Coolidge. "But there are many other people here in Queen Valley that are dealing with more difficult situations than this, including one person who had their debit card compromised and hit hard."

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office confirms to ABC15 an investigation is underway in the areas of Queen Valley and Gold Canyon.

A PCSO spokesperson said the case information is being kept confidential at this time pending the progression and investigation outcome.

Others in Queen Valley, who aren't victims of the recent fraud fear they are next.

"If my card gets compromised I'm dead in the water, it's critical to me," said JR Berry while standing near his home. "I pull up my bank account everyday cause I use a debit card, this is scary."

It's unknown at this point how the criminals are getting the credit cards or numbers.

"No it's not the mail," said Coolidge when asked if she thought a thief was lifting items from the mailbox. "I think there is a common link, maybe a store or something that we all use."

Coolidge is planning an HOA & community-wide meeting to discuss the credit card thefts and says PCSO officials are expected to brief the victims.