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Charleston, WV: Bill to disallow selling gift cards in Pawn Shops moving through
West Virginia House of Delegates
A bill to prevent the selling of gift cards in pawn shops is moving through the
House of Delegates. Police say that the sale of gift cards has become an issue
because people steal from department stores such as Macy's, return the stolen
items for a gift card, and then sell that gift card at a local pawn shop for 50
percent of the value. Pawn shops, in turn, receive 80 percent of the gift card's
value. Opponents of the bill pointed out that the legislation would prevent
legitimate transactions of people selling off gift cards. When challenged by
Del. Shawn Fluharty (D-Ohio) that not all pawn shop gift card trade-ins are
illegal, Barboursville Police Chief Mike Coffey responded "I would say most
are." The bill could be taken up for further consideration in the House this
week.
wvmetronews.com
 Arlington, WA: 'All-In' campaign shows reductions in crime; benefits of
Organized Retail Crime Alliance
A year and a half after its official launch, Arlington's "All-In" crime
prevention campaign has seen reductions in almost all major categories of
property crimes. To combat shoplifting, Arlington has joined the Organized
Retail Crime Alliance, which includes law enforcement agencies and retail
establishments' asset protection and loss prevention personnel. "Not just anyone
can be a member," Ventura said. "You have to be vetted, because we share a lot
of sensitive intelligence between us. If someone walks into a Rite Aid to
shoplift some things, and the security cameras get a good shot, we can share it
instantly. It's a powerful tool." Not only does ORCA allow Arlington to network
with the Marysville Police Department and stores such as Walmart, Safeway and
Fred Meyer, but it also aids them in connecting local crimes to more
geographically distant incidents.
arlingtontimes.com
Thomasville, NC: Trucking Company Employee steals Fuel Cards; spends $53,000 at
Convenience Stores
On Dec. 31, 2015, the Thomasville Police Department received a complaint from In
Home Delivery Service, Inc., regarding fraudulent charges on their fuel cards.
An investigation revealed that an ex-employee, later identified as Williams,
used four of the company's fuel cards to make more than 250 transactions at a
Thomasville convenience store. Police said more than $53,000 worth of goods and
merchandise were purchased with the cards between Aug. 23 and Dec. 5.
myfox8.com
Yorktown Hts, NY: Woman arrested for $1,253 theft from Sears in October
Tania Cordova-Aquilla, 26, is facing a felony charge of fourth-degree grand
larceny for the alleged theft at the Jefferson Valley Mall. Two women allegedly
shoplifted from the store on Oct. 12. Police said they identified Cordova-Aquilla
as one of the suspects, but did not say if the second suspect had been
identified. Cordova-Aquilla turned herself in to police on Feb. 16.
lohud.com
Louisville, KY: Thieves steal 4 cars and rob Best Buy
Police say they stole four cars from a Louisville car lot and preceded to rob a
local Best Buy within a matter of hours. Monday, Brandice Wright, 38, and James
Armstrong, 39, pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery and auto theft. Police
say, on Feb. 18 the duo took keys belonging to Jamal Auto Sales, located on the
Outer Loop, and took the cars with them. An arrest report says the pair robbed a
Best Buy the very next day, armed with a handgun and were found shortly after in
a nearby parking lot where the two were arrested.
whas11.com
Huntingdon, TN: 40 people in a Flash Mob rob C- Store; linked to Memphis gang
The incident occurred around 12:20 a.m. Sunday at the Hucks Convenience Store in
Huntingdon and ultimately led to nine arrests involving Huntingdon police,
Carroll County deputies, state troopers and Memphis police.
wbbjtv.com
Victoria, Australia: Man found guilty of $50,000 internet scams,
160,000 entries of credit card information
Joash Boyton was involved in a number of computer scams using stolen credit card
data from the time he was 17, until he was 20 years old. He was found guilty of
34 offences and sentenced to four years and nine months in jail. At his trial,
the court was told his parents were members of a religious group and he had a
"shackled upbringing" where movies and television were forbidden. But his
parents did not understand the internet and Boyton exploited their ignorance to
run a number of scams. One involved selling cheap airline tickets purchased with
stolen credit cards on Gumtree. Another scam involved buying and selling goods
on Ebay. He also recruited so-called "commission agents" to help him run the
scam. The frauds continued until police raided his home in February 2012 and
seized his computers. Police found a database containing 160,000 entries with
credit card information, 10 images of stolen passports and 12 images of stolen
personal financial information. The Supreme Court of Victoria ordered $50,000 in
restitution. His sentenced was reduced to one year in prison with a three-year
community correction order.
abc.net.au |
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