The Bossier Financial Crimes Task Force has received 11 reports from local residents of credit/debit card fraud that occurred over the course of the weekend.
The suspects went to various ATM locations at financial institutions and retail stores to withdraw cash from the victims’ accounts using cloned credit cards.Â
Investigators are currently working to determine how and where the theft of the account numbers, which are all from one local financial institution, occurred. Task force members are working with neighboring agencies and communicating with out of state agencies to solve the crimes.
Card holders should check their accounts daily and immediately report any unauthorized charges or suspicious activity. Card holders should always practice credit/debit card security. Shield your account number from view when you use a card in public. Do the same online by securing your devices and networks. Keep an eye out for skimmers and scanners. Look for signs of tampering on gas pumps, ATMs, and other points of sale where credit/debit cards are used. Investigators are also asking businesses with stand-alone ATMs to report suspicious, out of the ordinary activity.
To report a crime or suspicious activity call the Bossier Financial Crimes Task Force at 318-741-8669 or your local law enforcement agency.
In January, the Bossier Financial Crimes Task Force arrested a 15-year-old on six counts of monetary instrument abuse. Earlier this month, Marius Dinu and a 16-year-old juvenile were arrested on charges of 40 counts of bank fraud and 180 counts of attempted bank fraud each. Last week, two 17-year-olds were arrested on charges of racketeering and 62 counts of monetary instrument abuse. The victims in those crimes were from states across the country including Louisiana, Texas, Florida, California, and Ohio. For more on those cases visit, http://www.bossiercity.org/237/Police.
