Police seek credit card thief
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer

Police are attempting to identify this woman, photographed by a surveillance camera at the Rutgers Credit Union, in connection with an alleged credit card theft.

EAST BRUNSWICK — Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect involved in a slew of credit card frauds.

The trouble began at St. Bartholomew’s Parochial Elementary School in January when someone allegedly stole a teacher’s wallet from her pocketbook behind her desk. Since then, the person, identified as a black female, has allegedly been using the cards and the teacher’s identity to ring up thousands of dollars in purchases.

"The woman has rung up a pretty good amount," said police Detective Robert Allen, who is investigating the case. "We don’t feel this is a one-time thing for her. We’d like to catch her."

He said that based on her actions, the woman seems like someone who has performed the crimes before.

"She knows what she’s doing, and had a plan right from the start," he said.

Police obtained the photograph of the woman from cameras at the Rutgers Credit Union in New Brunswick. The woman was cashing a personal check there at the time.

According to police, the woman began using the credit cards immediately after stealing the wallet.

On the same day as the theft, she allegedly used the cards to purchase more than $3,000 of merchandise from local businesses, including those at Ryders Crossing in Milltown, according to police.

"They were also used in New York City," Allen said.

That same afternoon, the woman went to the Rutgers Credit Union, where the photograph was taken.

Since then, the suspect has reportedly opened several more fraudulent credit card accounts and made thousands of dollars in purchases, according to police.

"She has a bunch of (credit) cards," Allen said. "She opened up four or five accounts. She had the (victim’s) identification and uses the same address and everything."

Allen said police followed up at all of the places where the credit card purchases were made, but they have few leads.

"We’re kind of dead in the water right now. This [advertising her picture] is the last straw," Allen said.

"We’re in great shape as far as the picture is concerned, but need to identify who it is," he said.

There are probably just two ways right now for the police to find the person, he said.

"One would be for her to get caught in the act and for security to latch on to her until we get there," he said.

The other possibility is that someone will see her picture and identify her, he said.

If caught, the woman could be charged with theft, identity theft, credit card theft and check fraud.

Anyone with information relating to the case, including the identification of the woman, should call the East Brunswick Detective Bureau at (732)390-6990 and ask for Detective Robert Allen. Callers need not give their names.

People who are victims of credit card theft should immediately call their credit card company to report the cards stolen. They should also call police.

"The credit card companies won’t reimburse someone unless the police do an investigation," Allen said. "They want us to show the card was actually stolen and used by someone else."