The scam involved purchasing stolen credit card numbers from overseas then using the information to buy Visa gift cards from Big Y grocery stores across New England.
View full sizeSteve Bourne, 27, of Queens, N.Y. (Photo courtesy of North Branford Police Dept.)NORTH BRANFORD, Conn. - Two men from Queens, N.Y. were arrested this week in a credit card scam which spanned several states and countries and targeted the Springfield-based Big Y World Class Market chain, according to Connecticut authorities.
Steve Bourne, 27, and Charles Whitfield, 24, are both facing a slew of charges relating to credit card fraud after they were caught Monday in North Branford, Conn. leaving a Big Y supermarket.
According to various published reports, the duo was inside a Big Y grocery store when a loss-prevention officer recognized them based on an internal company bulletin detailing the fraud.
According to police, Bourne and Whitfield were allegedly involved in a scam that involved purchasing stolen credit card numbers from an unspecified foreign country then imprinting the numbers on actual cards. The fake credit cards were then used at at least 20 Big Y supermarkets across Massachusetts and Connecticut to purchase Visa gift cards for a total of more than $8,000.
View full sizeCharles Whitfield, 24, of Queens, N.Y. (Photo courtesy of North Branford Police Dept.)After the duo left the Big Y store on Monday around 3:30 p.m., the employee called police. An officer on patrol then saw the vehicle and pulled it over. After police allegedly smelled burnt marijuana in the vehicle, a search was conducted and officers found marijuana and several of the fraudulent credit cards.
Both Bourne and Whitfield were charged with 31 counts of credit card theft, 31 counts of conspiracy to commit illegal credit card use, illegal use of a credit card, sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny. Whitfield was additionally charged with driving without a license, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
Both men were arraigned in New Haven Superior Court and each was held in lieu of $25,000 bond.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and will likely involve federal authorities as well as police in several jurisdictions based on the accused men's alleged illegal actions since January.