LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (April 15, 2015) – On Feb. 8, 9, 15, and 19 and March 12, 15, 16, 18, and 22-24,  credit card charges processed and approved for payment at the Little Rock Zoo’s front gate entrance and gift shop were not funded by a third-party processor. When credit cards are swiped through the Zoo’s point-of-sales system a charge is either approved or declined for payment. However, on the dates in question, these approved payments did not post on customers’ credit cards as actual charges and only appeared as temporary holds. The Zoo’s Guest Services Department, working with the City of Little Rock Finance Department, discovered that the charges had not been deposited in the Zoo’s bank account. Zoo and City officials contacted the point-of-sales vendor, RMS Systems of Arkansas, and the third-party processor, Elavon.

It was discovered that the data was not transmitted correctly from the point-of-sales software to the third-party processor. The amount from February that was not deposited totaled $11,308.53. The amount not deposited from March totaled $31,163.63. Elavon processed the charges from February two weeks ago and processed the March charges on April 10. However, when Elavon processed the March batch it was processed incorrectly due to a systematic error. Charges were placed on customers’ credit cards for incorrect amounts. Elavon has since reversed the incorrect transactions. The timeline for these transactions to clear will be up to each cardholder’s individual bank.

The Little Rock Zoo did not have access to any credit card information during this process and no credit card data was breached. A total of 946 customers were affected by this software issue experienced by the point-of-sales and third-party processor vendors.

Customers who have concerns or questions are encouraged to call the Little Rock Zoo at (501) 666-2406. The Little Rock Zoo retains copies of all signed credit card receipts and can verify any original credit card charges.

The Little Rock Zoo is committed to providing outstanding services to all its patrons. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this vendor-related issue. The Zoo’s staff will work diligently with all partners to address concerns from any customer. All financial transactions processed since the date of the incident have taken place with complete financial safety.

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