Published: July 17, 2008 11:57 am            

Credit caper: Only tip of iceberg?

San Marcos — The arrest Tof two Mexican citizens in a sophisticated, international credit card fraud case may only be the tip of the iceberg, San Marcos Police said at a Wednesday press conference.

Already, police have recovered 55 bogus credit cards and $27,000 worth of illegally purchased merchandise. But according to Commander Terry Nichols, victims in the case are yet to be identified.

“It could be you or me or anyone else in the world,” Nichols said.

The two suspects, 31-year-old Gabriel Rivas of Mexico City and 37-year-old Hector Gomez of Guadalajara, were taken into custody on July 11 at the San Marcos Best Buy store; police subsequently found their rented Hummer overflowing with electronics equipment.

Nichols said the stolen property included laptops, a TV, movies, electronic games, MP3 players, digital cameras and computer accessories, most purchased from Best Buy in San Marcos and Austin. Clothing also in the vehicle came from the San Marcos outlet malls. All had been purchased with the illegal cards.

Nichols said the break in the case came on July 10, when a Michigan resident phoned the San Marcos store to say his credit card had been fraudulently used there. “He told them, ‘my card has been used and it’s not me. I’m in Michigan,’” Nichols said.

When Gomez and Rivas came back to the store the next day, Nichols said store personnel recognized them and summoned police. Officers initially believed it was “just another credit card abuse” case, Nichols said, adding that the crime “happens all the time.”

That initial assessment soon changed, he said, once police looked inside the Hummer, which was so full of merchandise that “there was only one place to sit, the driver’s seat,” Nichols said.

He added that it took hours to inventory the vehicle’s contents and will likely take quite a while to unravel the rest of the case and identify all the victims involved.

Nichols said both suspects were familiar to store personnel, but no one had called previously to alert the business that bogus credit cards were being used.

He said the pair’s criminal enterprise followed a pattern: They would fly from Mexico to San Antonio, rent a vehicle and start shopping. Some of what they “bought” they would bring back with them on the plane; the rest would be shipped.

“Their visas allowed them to stay two days and they stayed two days.”

Nichols said it’s unknown how long the operation had been in effect, acknowledging that there could be “hundreds of thousands of dollars” worth of illegally purchased goods.

“This is unique, the first time I’ll be handling a case of this magnitude,” said District Attorney Sherri Tibbe. She also said that depending on the number of victims involved, charges against the two suspects might be upgraded from third to second-degree felonies. Currently, each is charged with three counts of credit card abuse, which is a state jail felony, and one count each of theft under $100,000, which is a third degree felony.

Nichols said in addition to working with banks and other financial institutions to identify victims, investigators will be seeking a “nexus.”

“We’ll be looking for something in common” between the victims. “It will take a lot of work to find a link back to these two people.”

He said one of the suspects, who is cooperating with investigators, said they bought the fraudulent credit cards in Mexico, but added that’s yet to be verified. One also claimed to own a gaming store in Mexico City where many of the stolen items were then sold.

“They could have been doing it for years,” he said of the suspects.

Both Nichols and Tibbe said consumers should be vigilant about protecting identifying information; offering tips including making sure Internet sites are secure before using a credit card to purchase from them and “keeping an eye on your card” when you present it at a restaurant or other place of business.

They also cautioned people to check their credit card statements and bank account. “If you see fraudulent activity, cancel your card immediately,” Tibbe said.

        

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