Need free money? Try credit card fraud. It's easy and the Austin Police won't even investigate! Yay! (Arlington: crime, how much)

[Return2Paradise]

This will be a very verbose post, so if you if you have ADD or a short attention span, you can skip this one.

I was recently the victim of credit card fraud. It's been a few years, so I guess I was due. F'ing thieves.

Here's the skinny. I recently dined at a local Austin restaurant with my wife, and our server “allegedly” stole our credit card information and racked up $3400 in fraudulent charges. I won't be naming the establishment at this time because they are performing their own investigation, and even though I'm pretty sure how this will go down, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being. Now I know it can often be difficult to determine how and where your credit card information may have been compromised, but this one is pretty much a slam dunk.

I'll set the stage for you. Wedding anniversary. Decent restaurant. Mediocre food (Italian food in Austin, which is about the same as Tex Mex in Quebec, Canada; not so bueno.). But the the wife likes the place and it's my job to make her happy. We eat our grub, have some wine and then the check comes at the end of our meal. Our server takes my credit card, returns with the paper printouts several minutes later and plops it on the table in the usual leather folder thingy. But what's this? She didn't return my credit card with the printouts? I inquire about the missing credit card and it turns out it's missing in action, but a few minutes later, the server comes back with my card, drops it on the table and disappears after a drive-by “Here you go”. I didn't want to make a fuss about it and ruin my wife's night, but it gave my Spidey sense a little nudge.

Fast forward 10 hours later and I get a text from my credit card company indicating there is suspicious activity on my account. I immediately know whats up. Over $3k in charges to my card at an online electronics website. I let the credit card company know that it's bogus and cancel the card. I give the restaurant a call to let them know what happened. I called the Austin Police and filed a report, giving them all the details. “A detective will be contacting you soon”, they said.

I contacted the company where my credit card was used and inquired about the transactions. They were unwilling to provide information about the purchaser, but they did tell me that the goon purchased two Mac Book laptops and that the shipping address was in Texas. They also told me that they recorded the IP address of the computer that was used to commit the crime.

The next day I returned to the restaurant in question to do some sleuthing (wearing a fake mustache and a wig, of course). It turns out there are surveillance cameras above the credit card machine and near the table at which we dined.

So at this point, the Austin Police have the exact time and location the crime was likely committed. There is likely surveillance footage showing the crook in action. They have the name of the person who probably committed the crime, or at least conspired. They have the shipping address where the ill-gotten gains were sent to. They have the IP address of the computer that was used to make the purchase. Piece of cake, right?

Not so much. I never heard from that detective who would be “contacting me soon”, but I did just receive a letter from The Austin Police indicating they would not be investigating the crime, citing that credit card fraud cases aren't worth pursuing.

What's the lesson to be learned here? That even though the amount in question makes it a State felony crime (over $2500) and that the police have everything they need to go after the perp, they will not do anything about it. This sounds like an excellent opportunity to change careers and make big bucks doing credit card scams in Austin, knowing the police are unwilling to investigate. Woohoo! Easy money!

[stan4]

That.

Makes my blood boil.

You should spread this news.

I bet an article in the Texan and AAS might nudge someone to a policy change.

[Trainwreck20]

How much money did YOU lose? Not the CC company? At the end of the day, they are the one that has been robbed, and it is up to them to pursue charges/investigation. They decide when it is worth their while or not. I am not sure you personally would have any case against the thief in court, since your damages would pretty much be limited to the hassle of getting a new credit card.

Not to say that doesn't make you mad, but APD can't know for sure which person used the card (server, cashier, someone that swiped it from the server when he/she wasn't looking, etc). And that IP address may be a typical rolling IP address or a library or at a coffee shop. Sure, maybe they can catch them, maybe they can't, but I encourage you to try it out for a profession and see how that works out .

[10scoachrick]

Dang!

Happy Anniversary!

[TexasHorseLady]

I was a victim of check identity theft lo these many years ago (done the old fashioned way, no doubt also when I was paying but likely copied over my shoulder when I was writing a check because they misspelled my husbands name comicly on the checks) . Yes, the money was returned, but it stole a year out of my life dealing with it. At one point, contacting one of the numerous stores that fake checks were written at to explain the situation, I found that there was a camera right above the checkout and since the check had the exact date and time that the check in question was written there was at the very least a photo of the criminal in action and would I please pass this info on to the police and have them get in touch with the company who was more than eager to assist. I contacted the police, who clearly could not have been less interested - they seemed to think that their job was to issue a number for me to give to all the companies who were filing with the credit bureaus that we wrote hot checks. .

[Return2Paradise]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

How much money did YOU lose? Not the CC company?

How much did I lose? Nothing. My credit card company refunded the money to my account. But that's not really the point of this thread. It's that the APD has all the information at their disposal to close a felony case, and as a matter of policy, they choose not to investigate this or any CC fraud.

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

but APD can't know for sure which person used the card (server, cashier, someone that swiped it from the server when he/she wasn't looking, etc).

Given that there are multiple surveillance cameras right there and they have the exact time it happened, it's very likely the police could determine what happened while my credit card was MIA.

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Sure, maybe they can catch them, maybe they can't, but I encourage you to try it out for a profession and see how that works out .

Well, if I had the resources that the APD has, it would probably work out pretty well for me. Maybe a few hours of legwork at the most. But again, this thread isn't about me, it's about the fact that if you chose to become a credit card thief, Austin would be a fabulous hunting ground for you because you could pilfer with impunity, with no fear of the Austin police.

[Return2Paradise]

Originally Posted by stan4

That.

Makes my blood boil.

You should spread this news.

I bet an article in the Texan and AAS might nudge someone to a policy change.

I don't know, I don't think there's enough blood, gore or salaciousness involved to capture viewers' interest, so the media might pass on it. Food for thought if I get really bored though and want to try to stir things up.

[Return2Paradise]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I was a victim of check identity theft lo these many years ago (done the old fashioned way, no doubt also when I was paying but likely copied over my shoulder when I was writing a check because they misspelled my husbands name comicly on the checks) . Yes, the money was returned, but it stole a year out of my life dealing with it. At one point, contacting one of the numerous stores that fake checks were written at to explain the situation, I found that there was a camera right above the checkout and since the check had the exact date and time that the check in question was written there was at the very least a photo of the criminal in action and would I please pass this info on to the police and have them get in touch with the company who was more than eager to assist. I contacted the police, who clearly could not have been less interested - they seemed to think that their job was to issue a number for me to give to all the companies who were filing with the credit bureaus that we wrote hot checks. .

Sorry that happened to you. My little incident was merely a minor frustration in my life and an eye opener about the APD. I imagine dealing with identity theft is a whole 'nuther level of awful.

[ScoPro]

Our debit card was compromised via one of the big box stores in the Austin area last year, but at least the thieves had the decency to rob me by charging $340 at two different stores in Arlington the next week.

Yeah, it was a hassle getting that straightened out.

But in the end, WE ARE ALL paying for the thefts through higher card fees & rates.

[Return2Paradise]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

But in the end, WE ARE ALL paying for the thefts through higher card fees & rates.

Yep, and if there's little risk of being caught due to police apathy, there's no incentive for the thieves to stop. Easy money.