Archive
Posts Tagged ‘counterfeit’
Crime ring charged in counterfeit credit card scam www.privateofficer.com
November 29, 2008
Leave a comment
Crime ring charged in counterfeit credit card scam http://www.privateofficer.com
FRAMINGHAM MA Nov 29 2008
Six men in a crime ring which used counterfeit credit cards to buy thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart were arrested Tuesday when store security found out they were working as a team, police said.
Bradley O. Brown, 21, of Springfield; Yonaides Pichardo, 20, of Indian Orchard; Kareem M. Powell, 20, of Hartford, Conn.; and Richard Thompson, 22, Ronique Evans, 21, and ONeil Novada Snaith, 22, all of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., were arrested at 12:45 p.m. with nearly $4,000 worth of stolen goods in a nearby van, police said.
The six are also suspects in similar thefts at Wal-Mart stores in Chicopee and Springfield, Officer Robert Sibilio said.
“A lot of these rings stick to the same type of store,” he said. “They get comfortable in certain stores. They think they know the security systems. They won’t go to a Target, because it would be totally different.”
On Tuesday, Wal-Mart security stopped two men who had just bought several televisions and other items with what they believed were fraudulent credit cards.
They were stopped by security, who also saw four other men they thought were working with them parked in two separate cars outside, Sibilio said.
“The security at Wal-Mart is very good, and they caught these guys walking by each other and making eye contact,” he said. “It seems from the amount of product taking, it was nipped in the bud. Only three of the six men had come in so far.”
In describing the scam, police said one or two men at a time would come into the store, but shop separately. They would load their carts with electronic equipment.
They would then go through the checkout lane and use the fake credit cards. The cards would have their names on the front and a fake credit card number. However, the magnetic strip on the back of the card, which contained real credit card information, which was somehow obtained illegally, would be used by the clerks.
If the clerks asked for an ID, the names would match the one on the front of the card.
“These guys are professionals,” said Sibilio. “This isn’t something they just did that day.”
Along with the TVs, the group stole cell phones and video game systems. The suspects took the items out to a waiting Ford Econoline van, Sibilio said.
“This was a great bust,” Framingham Police spokesman Lt. Paul Shastany said.
Although not all of the men went into the store, all were charged under the legal theory of joint venture, meaning they shared culpability.
All six were charged with larceny of property worth more than $250, receiving stolen property worth more than $250, credit card fraud, uttering and forgery.
Thompson, Evans and Snaith were also charged with credit card misuse.
Evans, Thompson and Brown all pleaded not guilty at their Framingham District Court arraignments yesterday and were released without bail.
Snaith and Powell also pleaded not guilty and were released on $500 bail. Pichardo was released on $1,500 bail.
All are due back in court on Dec. 18 for pretrial conferences.
Six men in a crime ring which used counterfeit credit cards to buy thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart were arrested Tuesday when store security found out they were working as a team, police said.
Bradley O. Brown, 21, of Springfield; Yonaides Pichardo, 20, of Indian Orchard; Kareem M. Powell, 20, of Hartford, Conn.; and Richard Thompson, 22, Ronique Evans, 21, and ONeil Novada Snaith, 22, all of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., were arrested at 12:45 p.m. with nearly $4,000 worth of stolen goods in a nearby van, police said.
The six are also suspects in similar thefts at Wal-Mart stores in Chicopee and Springfield, Officer Robert Sibilio said.
“A lot of these rings stick to the same type of store,” he said. “They get comfortable in certain stores. They think they know the security systems. They won’t go to a Target, because it would be totally different.”
On Tuesday, Wal-Mart security stopped two men who had just bought several televisions and other items with what they believed were fraudulent credit cards.
They were stopped by security, who also saw four other men they thought were working with them parked in two separate cars outside, Sibilio said.
“The security at Wal-Mart is very good, and they caught these guys walking by each other and making eye contact,” he said. “It seems from the amount of product taking, it was nipped in the bud. Only three of the six men had come in so far.”
In describing the scam, police said one or two men at a time would come into the store, but shop separately. They would load their carts with electronic equipment.
They would then go through the checkout lane and use the fake credit cards. The cards would have their names on the front and a fake credit card number. However, the magnetic strip on the back of the card, which contained real credit card information, which was somehow obtained illegally, would be used by the clerks.
If the clerks asked for an ID, the names would match the one on the front of the card.
“These guys are professionals,” said Sibilio. “This isn’t something they just did that day.”
Along with the TVs, the group stole cell phones and video game systems. The suspects took the items out to a waiting Ford Econoline van, Sibilio said.
“This was a great bust,” Framingham Police spokesman Lt. Paul Shastany said.
Although not all of the men went into the store, all were charged under the legal theory of joint venture, meaning they shared culpability.
All six were charged with larceny of property worth more than $250, receiving stolen property worth more than $250, credit card fraud, uttering and forgery.
Thompson, Evans and Snaith were also charged with credit card misuse.
Evans, Thompson and Brown all pleaded not guilty at their Framingham District Court arraignments yesterday and were released without bail.
Snaith and Powell also pleaded not guilty and were released on $500 bail. Pichardo was released on $1,500 bail.
All are due back in court on Dec. 18 for pretrial conferences.
===============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: loss prevention, police, security, security made app/arrest
bradley brown, counterfeit, credit card scam, framingham mass., kareem powell, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, richard thompson, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com, yonaides pichardo
CONSUMER WARNING; Titans Tickets could be counterfeit www.privateofficer.com
November 23, 2008
Leave a comment
CONSUMER WARNING; Titan Tickets could be counterfeit http://www.privateofficer.com
Nashville TN Nov 23 2008
The 10–0 Tennessee Titans are the hottest ticket in town.
But officials want to make sure that excited fans don’t get burned by counterfeiters trying to cash in on the team’s winning streak.
Police will be on the lookout for bogus tickets and parking passes Sunday when the New York Jets visit sold-out LP Field. Any counterfeiter caught by plainclothes officers could face misdemeanor charges and a possible jail term of up to 11 months and 29 days.
While ticket scams haven’t been a big problem in Nashville this season, Titans officials say the threat grows as the victories add up.
“Counterfeiting occurs more frequently when it’s a big game or when the team is having a good season,” said Marty Collins, the team’s senior director of ticketing. “We certainly don’t see them every game, but when we do see them, there are usually anywhere between 20 to 80, even 100 (bogus tickets) collected.”
Problems were reported at two of the five home games this season.
About 20 unsuspecting fans told Metro police they paid $30 or more for what turned out to be bogus parking passes for the Nov. 2 game against Green Bay. And twice that many paid hundreds of dollars for counterfeit tickets to the Monday night game Oct. 27 against Indianapolis, Collins said.
As a season ticket holder, Morris Haddox of Nashville has never faced the prospect of buying a fake ticket from a street vendor. But he’s outraged just the same.
“This makes the Titans look bad and the legitimate ticket sellers look bad, said Haddox, whose North Nashville drug store is a Ticketmaster outlet. “I hope they catch whoever is doing this and that they are punished.”
Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas and Titans Executive Vice President Don MacLachlan recommend that football fans without tickets or parking passes buy from family members or friends they know well to avoid being scammed.
Another option is to purchase tickets from Titans season ticket holders online through a ticket exchange program on the Titans Web site, Collins said.
“I urge our fans to be very careful when buying tickets or parking passes on the street from persons they don’t know,” MacLachlan said. “The organization is simply not able to honor a fake document presented to a parking attendant or ticket taker.”
Police spokesman Don Aaron said another way for fans to protect themselves is to ask to see identification from ticket sellers on the street.
“Write down their name and information,” Aaron said. “That way you’ll have some starting point for recourse.”
Titans officials confiscate the bogus tickets. Most, Collins said, are obvious fakes, done as a quick way to make a profit. Others, though, are a little trickier to spot.
Originals have watermarks
There are ways to determine whether a ticket is original. Those issued by the team have several small watermarks on the back. On the ones from Ticketmaster, a blue ribbon can be seen if the edge is torn slightly.
Collins said the parking passes contain a foil treatment embedded in the perforation, visible on both sides.
“That’s the best security feature for us,” he added. “Most counterfeiters can’t duplicate it, though some have tried.”
Counterfeit tickets and parking passes are not unique to Nashville. They appear from time to time at the home stadiums of successful teams, police said.
Aaron said the last real problem with counterfeit tickets was in December 2002. About 100 counterfeit tickets were confiscated at the sold-out Titans–Colts matchup that year. Plainclothes investigators were placed around the stadium for the playoffs in early 2003, and an arrest warrant was issued against one person for counterfeiting at that time.
The Titans have sold out every home game since 1999.
But officials want to make sure that excited fans don’t get burned by counterfeiters trying to cash in on the team’s winning streak.
Police will be on the lookout for bogus tickets and parking passes Sunday when the New York Jets visit sold-out LP Field. Any counterfeiter caught by plainclothes officers could face misdemeanor charges and a possible jail term of up to 11 months and 29 days.
While ticket scams haven’t been a big problem in Nashville this season, Titans officials say the threat grows as the victories add up.
“Counterfeiting occurs more frequently when it’s a big game or when the team is having a good season,” said Marty Collins, the team’s senior director of ticketing. “We certainly don’t see them every game, but when we do see them, there are usually anywhere between 20 to 80, even 100 (bogus tickets) collected.”
Problems were reported at two of the five home games this season.
About 20 unsuspecting fans told Metro police they paid $30 or more for what turned out to be bogus parking passes for the Nov. 2 game against Green Bay. And twice that many paid hundreds of dollars for counterfeit tickets to the Monday night game Oct. 27 against Indianapolis, Collins said.
As a season ticket holder, Morris Haddox of Nashville has never faced the prospect of buying a fake ticket from a street vendor. But he’s outraged just the same.
“This makes the Titans look bad and the legitimate ticket sellers look bad, said Haddox, whose North Nashville drug store is a Ticketmaster outlet. “I hope they catch whoever is doing this and that they are punished.”
Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas and Titans Executive Vice President Don MacLachlan recommend that football fans without tickets or parking passes buy from family members or friends they know well to avoid being scammed.
Another option is to purchase tickets from Titans season ticket holders online through a ticket exchange program on the Titans Web site, Collins said.
“I urge our fans to be very careful when buying tickets or parking passes on the street from persons they don’t know,” MacLachlan said. “The organization is simply not able to honor a fake document presented to a parking attendant or ticket taker.”
Police spokesman Don Aaron said another way for fans to protect themselves is to ask to see identification from ticket sellers on the street.
“Write down their name and information,” Aaron said. “That way you’ll have some starting point for recourse.”
Titans officials confiscate the bogus tickets. Most, Collins said, are obvious fakes, done as a quick way to make a profit. Others, though, are a little trickier to spot.
Originals have watermarks
There are ways to determine whether a ticket is original. Those issued by the team have several small watermarks on the back. On the ones from Ticketmaster, a blue ribbon can be seen if the edge is torn slightly.
Collins said the parking passes contain a foil treatment embedded in the perforation, visible on both sides.
“That’s the best security feature for us,” he added. “Most counterfeiters can’t duplicate it, though some have tried.”
Counterfeit tickets and parking passes are not unique to Nashville. They appear from time to time at the home stadiums of successful teams, police said.
Aaron said the last real problem with counterfeit tickets was in December 2002. About 100 counterfeit tickets were confiscated at the sold-out Titans–Colts matchup that year. Plainclothes investigators were placed around the stadium for the playoffs in early 2003, and an arrest warrant was issued against one person for counterfeiting at that time.
The Titans have sold out every home game since 1999.
=============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: police, security
counterfeit, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, nashville tennessee, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, tennessee titan tickets, tennessee titans, titan tickets, www.privateofficer.com
