Credit card thieves in Michigan have been using tin foil to scramble stores' satellite signals, then use stolen credit card numbers to make fraud.ulent purchases while the merchants' systems are down, according to CBS.

Police have warned businesses in Battle Creek, Michigan to keep an eye out for the criminals, who have been targeting several stores across the city. The credit card systems remain down until the thieves have left with their purchases, leaving no record behind.

Stores with low roofs are the most likely to fall victim to this type of theft. Business owners must be very alert about their credit card sales, and be on the look out for tin foil near their satellites, the news source reports.

According to Javelin Strategy and Research, credit card theft cases increased by 22 percent in 2008, reaching a grand total of 9.9 million individual occurrences.

"The short term is that criminals are getting more desperate," said spokesman for the research company Jim Van Dyke.

Those who are concerned about credit card theft should be sure to guard their personal information, and use secure payment companies when shopping online.