By Sara Hall | NB Indy
Police arrested a man Tuesday in suspicion of using stolen credit card accounts to purchase thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from upscale stores at Fashion Island.
Thanh Vinh Tran, 24, of Alhambra was arrested Tuesday at Bloomingdales in Fashion Island after purchasing $2,262 worth of makeup with a stolen credit card. He also had six fraudulently obtained credit cards and other forms of fake identification in his possession. The cards had Tran’s name listed but were attached to other cardholders’ accounts, according to a police statement.
Economic crime detectives Garrett Fitzgerald and Kyle Cammack from the Newport Beach Police worked with the security and loss-prevention officers from Fashion Island stores on the case.
The first report of this kind of activity involving this suspect occurred in June at Macy’s, said Sgt. Steve Burdette. One of the victims whose account number was stolen had her card denied at a gas station, Budette said, she then called the credit card company and they told her that there were two large purchases at Macy’s in Fashion Island on June 19. The victim then contacted Macy’s and filed an identity theft report.
Security from Bloomingdales recognized the suspect as the same man from the video from the incident at Macy’s, Burdette said. The security officer then notified detectives Fitzgerald and Cammack, and although they were unavailable, other detectives responded.
After Tran purchased the makeup and appeared to be leaving the store, the security officer detained him.
Detectives Bob Watts and Kristen Fox, along with Patrol Officer Brian Mack arrived on the scene and took custody of Tran.
Tran claimed to be a “runner,” Burdette said, someone who is given stolen cards and told to purchase items at various locations. The runner then returns the items to the unknown suspect for a percentage of their worth. Tran is claiming that the only thing he knows is that he was driven to the store in a Silver Toyota Matrix, Burdette said.
There are numerous charges pending against Tran, and it appears he may have been responsible for similar incidents in other cities, according to the police statement.
This case came together because of the communication efforts made by detectives Fitzgerald and Cammack to the store security and loss-prevention officers, according to the statement.
Police are continuing to investigate and anyone with any information is urged to contact the NBPD at 949-644-3681 or call the department’s Crime Tip Hotline at 800-550-NBPD.
