WESTLAKE, Ohio (WJW) — Two Michigan men have been arrested in connection with a credit card fraud scheme involving counterfeit cards, authorities say.
Jalen Wilson, 29, and Nathaniel Smith, 27, both from Detroit, were detained by Westlake police after allegedly using stolen credit card information to make fraudulent purchases at various retail stores.
The investigation began on January 29 when a Westlake woman reported that her credit card was being used at a Walmart in Avon, despite the card being at home. Security footage revealed a suspect using the woman’s credit card to purchase gift cards, which led police to track down the suspect’s vehicle.
The vehicle, a rented SUV with Florida plates, was located at a Meijer store in Avon. Upon investigation, Wilson was arrested as he left the store, with Smith detained shortly after.
Authorities believe the two men were part of a larger scheme where they obtained credit card numbers from the dark web, then encoded the numbers onto counterfeit cards. Investigators recovered several fake cards bearing the suspects’ names and a card encoding scanner used to clone the cards.
Police allege that Wilson and Smith used the fraudulent cards to purchase gift cards, which were then sold online for quick cash.
Wilson admitted that he had returned to Northeast Ohio to attend a court appearance for a pending credit card fraud case in Summit County, authorities said.
Wilson and Smith were released on bond, and the case is expected to be presented to a grand jury in Cuyahoga County.
This case highlights the growing issue of credit card fraud and the importance of law enforcement working together to stop such operations targeting unsuspecting victims.
