Credit card skimmer, 500 fraudulent cards found; 3 arrested
HUNTINGTON COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) — Three Missouri men were arrested in Huntington County this week after Indiana State troopers reportedly caught them with an illegal card skimming device and some 500 swindled credit cards and gift cards.
Around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Indiana State Police pulled over a Nissan SUV along Interstate 69 for a traffic violation. During the stop, troopers noticed the three men inside had odd behavior, according to a news release.
That led one of the troopers to send his K-9 to the car, the report said, and K-9 Axle gave a positive alert that prompted a search of the vehicle.
Inside the vehicle, troopers found a credit card skimming device plugged into a laptop, along with more than 160 credit cards and more than 60 MasterCard gift cards. Troopers also found tampering tools and a gram of marijuana, the report said.
The find led troopers to a hotel room in Indianapolis. Inside, troopers found “several hundred” fraudulent cards and a hard drive.
All told, troopers recovered some 500 fraudulent credit cards and gift cards during the investigation, the report said. State police estimated the value of the cards at $50,000.
Omar C. Sosa, 19, Adrian Miguel Abreu Boza, 19, and Alejandro Abreu Martinez, 27, all of Kansas City, Missouri, were arrested on felony charges of Unlawful Possession of a Card Skimming Device, Forgery-Counterfeiting and Fraud, along with a misdemeanor charges of Possession of Marijuana. They were booked into the Huntington County Jail.
Details from the Huntington County investigation were forwarded to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office for review.