Help from a Fort Lauderdale Identity Theft Lawyer

In a bizarre turn of events, a Coral Springs man is facing charges of identity fraud after he was caught making purchases with someone else’s credit cards. What makes the case even more strange? The cards belonged to two different women who were dead at the time.

Law enforcement obtained a warrant for the 30-year-old suspect and was able to place him in custody at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for the crimes that occurred in 2016. Through their investigation, police realized that the culprit hadn’t just stolen the credit cards; he had applied for cards in the name of the dead women. After receiving the cards, the suspect took them on multiple shopping trips at Sam’s Club. At this type of store, customers check themselves out and do not interact with cashiers, who might be able to verify identity when a guest uses a credit card.

It was easy for law enforcement to track the suspect because he used his own shopper’s card to enter the club store and check out, even though he paid with credit cards that belonged to dead women. He racked up nearly $2,000 in debt on one card and over $500 on the other.

The suspect is now facing charges of using the personal identification of a deceased person, illegal use of credit cards more than twice within six months, grand theft and defrauding a financial institution. He will need a Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney to defend him in court.

It’s unclear how the suspect was able to apply for those credit cards, and police say there is no connection between the man and his fraud victims or their families. However, one of the women had lived in Coral Springs.

Hiring a Fort Lauderdale Identity Theft Lawyer

This goes to show how easily a person, even one who is deceased, can become a victim of fraud. In this case, the suspect misrepresented himself to trick the credit card companies into providing him with cards and the store into accepting those cards. However, there are a variety of activities that can result in fraud charges and the need for a criminal defense attorney who can fight those charges in court.

If you or someone you know have been in a similar legal situation involving fraud in Miami Dade County, contact Hassett & Associates, P.A. at 954-791-3939.