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Highlands Today

Credit card fraud is common

The Associated Press

People get scammed out of thousands of dollars every day.

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By AIYANA BAIDA and BRAD DICKERSON

Highlands Today

Published: November 29, 2009

SEBRING - "Congratulations, I'm pleased to inform you that you've won $10,000," reads a letter that crime prevention specialist Nell Hays says is a common scam.

There are many variations to this letter but all have one thing in mind - to scam you out of your hard-earned dollars and take your identity while they're at it.

Letters or phone calls from those who say you've won a lottery ticket you never played or an inheritance from a distant family member you never met get mailed out everyday.

The good news, Hays said, is the crime prevention team's presentations are keeping Highlands County residents on alert.

"A week doesn't go by where someone doesn't walk in and hand us one of these letters," Hays said.

The crime prevention team compiles the letters and when there's a noticeable trend a warning is sent out to neighborhood watch teams, business watch groups, home owners associations and media outlets.

"At least we know they're aware of it and that's the key," she said.

Fraud, fraud and more fraud

People get scammed out of thousands of dollars every day and quite possibly every minute in this county.

"It's a continuous crime," Lt. Tim Lethbridge said.

Lethbridge, assigned to Highlands County's Sheriffs Office criminal investigation unit, investigates fraud cases on a regular basis.

Of all the types of fraud cases none is more prevalent than credit card fraud, he said.

That's because people use their credit cards for everything. Eating out, grocery shopping, holiday shopping, filling the car up with gas and making online purchases.

As a society we can't seem to get away from using them.

Not even Hays, who has worked in crime prevention for 12 years, could avoid being a victim of credit card fraud.

"I'm human too," Hays said.

About five years ago, Hays noticed that her credit card statement had large amounts of purchases for things she bought, at places she didn't shop.

She knew the $600 charged to her credit card was fraudulent right away.

Hays had her credit card the whole time but the criminals got a hold of her information and used it to produce a counterfeit card which they presented upon purchase.

It's known as skimming.

Lethbridge said counterfeiters can get credit card information off a second card reader or device that records the information on the magnetic strip.

The information is then placed on a new magnetic strip on a counterfeit card that can have the counterfeiter's name. If their card name matches their ID they're in the clear at the moment of purchase.

"All they need is to have a matching ID," Lethbridge said.

Scammers scan the credit card twice: once on the legitimate card reader and a second time on a device to record the information. Once the information is recorded counterfeiters sell them or use them for themselves.

Lethbridge advises that credit card holders become aware of double swiping.

Local fraud cases

Currently Lethbridge's department is investigating nine related credit card fraud cases where suspects from South Florida made purchases in Highlands County.

Last Friday, Nov. 20, in West Palm Beach, the Associated Press reported that six people were arrested including a bank teller for stealing identities, forging and cashing checks and using stolen credit cards. Officials say the bank teller stole information from customers' accounts.

Recently, Sebring Police Department arrested Glynda Anne Jones, 45, on a 2007 warrant for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly woman's account while having power of attorney.

A report stated that Jones allegedly took $62,700 in multiple transactions from the victim's accounts and an additional $60,077 was paid out on behalf of Jones "to her own or others benefits."

According to the arrest report the elderly victim knew Jones for several years. The victim began relying on friends like Jones to help with her everyday needs and in 2006 she gave power of attorney to Jones.

Shortly after, a complaint against Jones' misuse of the funds was reported to authorities.

Often time seniors get victimized by someone they know or trust. Lethbridge said that scammers try and win their trust and convince them into handing over personal information.

Seniors who are homebound are easy targets for these scammers to take advantage of.

"These are people who talk a good game and they convince the victim to trust them," Lethbridge said.

88-year old woman scammed

In early 2009, Christopher A. Horton fraudulently took $6,108.60 from an ATM debit card from an 88 year-old Sebring woman who trusted him to buy her groceries.

Horton told police he used the money to pay his rent and buy crack cocaine.

Meanwhile the victim accrued overdraft fees on her account, which was negative $2,330.31 after a $734 direct deposit.

According to a Highlands County Sheriff's Office report, Horton was the victim's neighbor at one point. He and Teresa McNee and Melissa Manley would take the victim to buy groceries. The victim was bound to a wheel chair and would pay Manley about $20 to take her to do her errands. Over time they gained her trust and access to her apartment where Horton admitted to taking her ATM card.

"One day, yeah, I won't lie to you, I saw it there and took it," Horton said to the investigating officer, according to the report.

The investigation shows in a two and a half-month period Horton made 48 transactions with the victim's stolen ATM card.

Horton was arrested for grand theft, scheming defraud, fraudulent use of a credit card in a six-month period, exploitation of an elderly person.

Investigators were able to make an arrest in this case in about a month. But Lethbridge said these cases are time consuming, especially when bank and merchants records have to be subpoenaed.

"They are complicated investigations but we have a good deal of success with them," Lethbridge said.

Highlands Today reporter Brad Dickerson contributed to this report. Highlands Today reporter Aiyana Baida can be reached at 863-386- 5855 or nbaida@highlandstoday.com

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