UPDATE - California credit card fraudsters gift card scam busted in Oregon reported yesterday - Case is bigger  Police have accused the two of manufacturing fraudulent gift cards, using a machine to put numbers on them and an algorithm to figure out which numbers computer systems would accept, the Daily Astorian reported. Police say the case involves several cities in California, Oregon and one other state they're not yet naming. They said they're cooperating with agencies in nearby Warrenton and Seaside, as well as in Fresno, Calif., and with the California Highway Patrol. The suspects were identified as 34-year-old Bradley Stay of Fresno and 34-year-old Cherice Leona McMillian of Clovis. Police say they got a tip from a suspicious store owner and arrested the pair in a Seaside motel shortly after the two returned from an outlet mall with thousands of dollars in merchandise. Police estimated the two made at least $10,000 in purchases in the Astoria area. Police recovered more than 200 items from the couple's Seaside hotel room including credit cards, a credit card machine and a truck load of merchandise.
(Source katu.com)

Ringleader in 2 credit card fraud schemes sentenced to over 17 years in prison in Baltimore  The judge also ordered Sanya to pay restitution of $251,712.87 and entered a forfeiture order for the same amount. Sanya also forfeited a Range Rover and Maserati luxury sports car as part of this case. On July 31, 2012, Sanya pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to commit access device fraud. Sanya admitted that, beginning in 2010, he oversaw a credit card skimming operation in which he recruited employees at restaurants and businesses to steal customer credit card information. The stolen data was then loaded onto gift cards, or encoded onto other credit or debit cards. These cards were used to buy merchandise at area businesses, and the merchandise was later returned in exchange for cash. Sanya’s actions in this scheme impacted 250 or more victims. (Source baltimorenewsjournal.com)

Two Georgia men sentenced in gift card scheme
Derrick Nathaniel Hartfield, 46, of Smyrna, Ga., and Rico Carty Clemons, 48, of Riverdale, Ga., are charged with defrauding Wal-Mart and other retail businesses nationwide out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through identity theft and wire fraud. According to U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley, Hartfield has been sentenced to 60 months in prison, four years of supervised release, and a $10,000 fine for wire fraud. He also received 24 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and a $5,000 fine for aggravated identity theft. The two prison terms will be served consecutively and the supervised release will be served concurrently. Clemons received 10 months in prison and two years of supervised release for wire fraud. Both defendants were also ordered to pay $14,869 in restitution. Finley said according to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Hartfield and Clemons admitted that they used illegally obtained retail store gift cards and applied for credit/debit cards using other peoples' identities. (Source kplctv.com)

Tyler, TX., Police arrest 22nd suspect in massive identity theft ring
A massive East Texas identity theft ring keeps on getting bigger. More than a dozen people were arrested back in May and another person was arrested Tuesday. Blake Gee, 25, turned himself in at the Tyler Police Department Tuesday morning. He is now the 22nd person accused of conspiring in a theft ring believed to have stolen thousands of dollars. Attorneys handling the case say the theft ring involved the ring leaders using young women to take out loans in other peoples' names. According to some attorneys representing the nearly-two-dozen-defendants, the ring stole sensitive information like names addresses, phone numbers and social security numbers. Then, they falsely applied for loans, deposited that money into different bank accounts and spent the cash. They're also accused of buying and selling cell phones in other peoples' names to make a profit. The ring's activity spreads from Tyler to San Antonio to Houston...maybe even farther. (Source kltv.com)

Southeast Regional ORC group helps Law Enforcement and Retailers share information, fight retail crime  Law enforcement agencies in the southeast are using sophisticated software to collect and share information with retailers to help fight organized crime. The Southeast Regional Organized Retail Crime (SERORC) Special Interest Group, powered by LEO.gov (Law Enforcement Online), was set up to identify and target, for prosecution, individuals responsible for retail thefts throughout the southeast United States. SERORC works closely with local, state and federal agencies to help enhance the effectiveness of retail theft related investigations. LEO provides members a secure, Internet-based information sharing system that allows members to access or share sensitive but unclassified information anytime and anywhere - such as SERORC's Arrestee Tracking Virtual Command Center, which gives members the ability to search/view various offenders, trends, locations and crimes shared by other members/agencies. All retail LP and security personnel, law enforcement officers, analysts and investigators are invited to join the group, however, registration is required. Click here to apply.

Evansville, IL women struck a Toys R Us employee with car after theft
Police say two Evansville women tried to steal more than $700 worth of merchandise from the Toys R Us store on the East Side. The pair, 26-year-old Tiffani D. Lowe and 25-year-old Kayla R. Jackson, also reportedly struck a store employee with a car as the employee tried to confront them about the incident in the parking lot, according to police. The female employee suffered scrapes and was checked out at the hospital.. After she was hit, the employee fell onto the hood of the car and then fell off as the vehicle made a sharp turn. Investigators identified Lowe as the driver. Both Jackson and Lowe face preliminary charges of strong-armed robbery causing injury, theft and criminal recklessness. (Source 14news.com)

Baby Formula thief fights with Kroger’s Loss Prevention in Louisville, Kentucky
A man caught stealing from a Germantown Kroger store was arrested after trying to fight his way to freedom through store security officers. Hubbard I. Walker, 28, of Louisville, walked out of the store at 8:30 p.m. November 18 after placing several containers of baby formula in a backpack. When Walker was confronted by Kroger loss prevention officers, he went back into the store and tried to get rid of the backpack. Walker then tried to run through the security officers and a fight ensued. Walker was arrested on a robbery change. The formula was valued at $131.00. Kroger officials said Walker, who has a history of shoplifting and other charges related to theft, had previously been banned from all of the stores in Jefferson County. (Source wave3.com)

Two men in Australia charged with stealing $100,000 in baby formula and cigarettes  Two men have been charged with stealing more than $100,000 in baby formula and cigarettes from Sydney pharmacies and supermarkets. A 34-year-old man was arrested at Berkshire Park and a 36-year-old man was arrested at Malabar on Tuesday. Strike force officers laid 64 charges on the pair relating to 17 aggravated break-ins between May and August 2013. They've also been charged with car theft and malicious damage. (Source news.com)