Four people have been arrested in a scheme that involved stealing credit cards number and buying high end electronics online. This scheme was elaborate and police are investigating to see how much these four people actually stole.
Lt. Thomas Shumaker with the Ephrata Police Department says those who are victim to this scheme, may not know it. “They were sophisticated. They were obviously using stolen credit card information and they are moving quickly enough that the credit card holder may not find it quickly on their statement.”
Vincent Mapp, Daniel Obuamal, Frank Pollux and Nona Stern were all arrested on Tuesday and now face charges of fraud, theft and conspiracy.
Ephrata Police say the four stole credit card numbers, bought high end electronics online, and then had them shipped to various Walmarts in Berks, York, Lehigh, Montgomery and Lancaster Counties.
The group would then pick up the merchandise, using their real names. Police aren't sure how long this had been going on and how much the suspects got away with.
The fraud was detected by the Walmart store in Ephrata. Employees waited for the suspects to come to the store and then called police.
Lt. Shumaker urges everyone to check their credit account on a regular basis to help spot this type of activity. “Personally I monitor my credit card activity. I check it everyday. I have it on the internet, so I can access my account so I can see what’s going on. I would encourage all consumers to do that on a regular basis.”
All four were booked in the Lancaster County Prison with bonds ranging from $25,000 to $50,000.
Lt. Thomas Shumaker with the Ephrata Police Department says those who are victim to this scheme, may not know it. “They were sophisticated. They were obviously using stolen credit card information and they are moving quickly enough that the credit card holder may not find it quickly on their statement.”
Vincent Mapp, Daniel Obuamal, Frank Pollux and Nona Stern were all arrested on Tuesday and now face charges of fraud, theft and conspiracy.
Ephrata Police say the four stole credit card numbers, bought high end electronics online, and then had them shipped to various Walmarts in Berks, York, Lehigh, Montgomery and Lancaster Counties.
The group would then pick up the merchandise, using their real names. Police aren't sure how long this had been going on and how much the suspects got away with.
The fraud was detected by the Walmart store in Ephrata. Employees waited for the suspects to come to the store and then called police.
Lt. Shumaker urges everyone to check their credit account on a regular basis to help spot this type of activity. “Personally I monitor my credit card activity. I check it everyday. I have it on the internet, so I can access my account so I can see what’s going on. I would encourage all consumers to do that on a regular basis.”
All four were booked in the Lancaster County Prison with bonds ranging from $25,000 to $50,000.