05/20/2026
⚠️ Bad news fam, and heads up — Especially for fellow small business owners:
On April 9th, someone came into our shop and made a large purchase (two guitars and an amp) using a stolen credit card and a fake ID to match. They got away.
Then on May 14th, someone attempted a similar scam. We prevented it.
If you recognize the instruments or anyone in the photos below, please DM us or contact Castle Rock PD directly. Every bit of information helps.
THE HARD TRUTH:
Credit card companies put the liability squarely on us, the business. We’ve filed police reports and are still waiting to hear from Castle Rock PD. But in the end, we have to eat the loss.
A WARNING ABOUT CREDIT CARD TERMINALS:
When the April 9th transaction was processed, our terminal (Wells Fargo Merchant Services) prompted us to enter the billing address from the ID — which we did. The transaction was approved. We assumed, as most small business owners probably do, that this address verification step was an added layer of fraud protection.
It is not.
According to Wells Fargo, “1234 Mickey Mouse way” could have been entered and the transaction still would have approved. The address prompt provides zero fraud protection — it just feels like it does. We think that’s misleading, and we think other small business owners deserve to know it.
In 20 years we’ve had our share of theft, but nothing quite like this. Let’s help stop this before it becomes a pattern. Stay cool out there fam— because it’s not always cool. ✌️❤️🎵
