GPD investigating credit card cloning cases

GONZALES — Authorities are investigating a pair of credit card cloning cases that led to the purchases of laptop computers.

On Oct. 10, GPD received a report of credit card abuse, Capt. Allen Taylor reported. The victim told police her credit card number had been accessed and used to purchase a laptop computer from Apple.com. Taylor said that led police to believe this was yet another in a series of cloned credit cards.

On Oct. 11, another victim reported his credit card account was used to purchase the same thing for the same price from the same company.

Taylor said the first victim believed her number was stolen when she used her card at a location in Gonzales, and the second victim said the same thing - but that it may have occurred during Come and Take It weekend at one of the booths. The first victim later said she used her card at a booth that weekend as well.

Taylor then learned that one of the laptops was delivered to a local address, but that police need to obtain a subpoena in order to check at the address. The subpoenas have since been issued, Taylor said.

On Oct. 20, a person came in to GPD with a laptop computer that had been purchased on Apple.com under a different name. Taylor later contacted the woman, who lives in Seguin, and acquired the laptop. Police believe the laptop was the one purchased in the first incident.

GPD advises anyone who receives a package that they did not order to call them at 830-672-8686. The case is still under investigation.