Texan caught red-handed in credit card scheme

  Whether it's a consequence of a recovering economy or the added avenues in which criminals can obtain personal information from consumers, there has been more than 900,000 counts of identity theft and fraud reported by the Federal Trade Commission every year since the start of the recession in 2008. Criminals make fraudulent credit card purchases by obtaining information in a number of ways, such as a stolen license, Social Security card or credit card reader. Financial institutions do their due diligence to ensure the safety of their customers because they ultimately take the hit for issues, though sometimes it's too difficult to catch fraudulent purchases early enough. Luckily, Houston police were able to track down an identity thief the same day he committed a fraudulent credit card purchase. Sharif John Reid, a 36-year-old male from League City, Texas, was arrested on charges of aggravated identity theft and access device fraud in connection with more than $200,000 worth of fraudulent purchases of Apple products, the Courthouse New Service reports. "When asked to produce identification, Reid produced a fraudulent Florida driver's license in the name of another person but bearing Reid's photograph," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a court statement. "Apple loss prevention officers immediately recognized the name on the card as the name used to make more than $200,000 in purchases of Apple electronic equipment using fraudulent credit card numbers at Apple store locations in Louisiana and throughout Texas." Police searched Reid's vehicle and found approximately 20 more stolen credit card numbers and multiple Apple products, such as iPads and iPhones. A CitiBank investigator informed the Secret Service that Reid's stolen credit card numbers were linked to a business that had skimmed hundreds. Prior to his arrest, Reid had visited two other Apple and illegally acquired the iPads and iPhones police found in his car. Whatever income a consumer makes, there is generally a pattern of spending among all individuals. If one is found spending beyond their means, a simple phone call from the financial institution can reveal if those purchases were legitimate. Reid could face a $250,000 fine as a result of his scheme which cost credit agencies more than $200,000.