Red flags went up for store employees when they noticed shoppers buying up gift cards with a credit card at a U-scan station.
“Due to the number of separate transactions being made, the loss prevention officer suspected a fraudulent or stolen credit card was being used to make the purchase,” according to an Oakland County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Deputies arrested three Detroit area men for credit card fraud in two separate incidents, Aug. 31 and Sept. 2 at the Kroger store on Dixie Highway in Independence Township.
The loss-prevention officer was suspicious when two men, a 25-year-old Detroit resident and 25-year-old Hamtramck resident, were seen at a U-scan check-out lane making numerous gift card purchases with a credit card, 9:52 p.m., Aug. 31.
Deputies arrested one of the suspects in the parking lot, and the second suspect after a short foot pursuit.
They recovered the Visa gift cards that were purchased as well as several “cloned” credit cards. Detectives prepared a search warrant for the suspects’ vehicle, and found additional Visa gift cards and a handgun.
Deputies responded to the same store for a credit card fraud in progress at 4:30 p.m., Sept. 2.
The loss prevention officer observed another two men at the U-scan making numerous gift card purchases with a credit card.
When deputies arrived, one of the suspects, a 24-year-old Farmington Hills man, was exiting the store. Deputies approached him and asked him to go to the loss prevention office, and the suspect ran back into the store.
He ran towards the north entrance and a pursuing deputy used his Taser to stop him. The suspect was taken into custody without further incident.
The second suspect, described as a black man in his mid-20’s, escaped.
Deputies recovered the MasterCard gift cards that were purchased and several cloned credit cards. Detectives were called to continue the investigation, and the suspect was jailed pending issuance of criminal charges.