Suspects Arrested in Regional Skimming/Fraud Scheme, May 4

Three suspects have been arrested by Salem Police Detectives in a regional scam that involves the skimming of credit and debit cards and the subsequent fraudulent use of the personal information gained to illegally purchase thousands of dollars of manufactured goods. The suspects: 37-year old Evaristo Hernandez-Vazquez; 30-year old Hector Hernandez-Vazquez and 39-year old Norma Hernandez-Vazquez, all of San Fernando, California, were all arrested and lodged in the Marion County Jail on April 23. All were charged with Aggravated Identity Theft, Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card, Theft in the First Degree by Deception and seven counts of Identity Theft. Bail for each was set at $220,000.00. The scheme first came to the attention of the Salem Police Department on April 9, 2015 when representatives of the Maps Credit Union and Pioneer Trust Bank in Salem reported fraudulent transactions that involved counterfeit debit cards for several of their customers. Columbia Bank also reported similar activity on the following week with some of their customers. Investigators believe that a skimming device was used to collect data from credit and debit cards as they were used to pay for purchases. A skimming device is an electronic item that is placed on the credit/debit card reader on machines such as ATMs, gas pumps and other automated readers. The skimming device secretly collects the data from these cards and allows the crooks to gain enough information to use the unsuspecting cardholders’ data to make fraudulent purchases. Investigators were able to locate a single point where the victims had all used their cards, a gas station on Lancaster Dr SE. They believe this occurred in March, 2015. The pumps at this gas station have since been inspected, but no skimming device was found. However, a skimming device was found at another gas station on March 11, 2015. The investigation showed that that the counterfeit debit cards were used to purchase expensive electronics, clothing, and gift cards from cities from Medford, Oregon to Vancouver, Washington. The loss in these cases was over $8,400.00. Surveillance photos showed multiple Hispanic males and a female committing these crimes. Those photos were forwarded to retail outlets throughout the region. On April 21, a loss prevention officer at Fred Meyer in Vancouver, Washington recognized three suspects who matched the description of the suspects and was able to get a photo of the suspects and their van with California license plates. The suspect and vehicle information were forwarded to law enforcement agencies in the area. On April 22, Beaverton Police Detective Jason Buelt located the suspects in a hotel in Beaverton and followed them when they left, eventually taking them into custody and seizing large boxes that they were attempting to mail. Subsequent search warrants served on the hotel room, vehicle and the boxes that the suspects were mailing yielded over 100 fraudulent credit/debit cards, multiple items of high end electronics, new articles of brand name clothing, gift cards, nearly $3,500 in currency and a Louis Vuitton handbag valued at over $3,000. This investigation was coordinated by Salem Police Detective Michael Korcek with the assistance of the Beaverton Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and several other law enforcement agencies. The investigation will continue as investigators attempt to locate and identify more victims in this case, and additional charges may be filed. Said Detective Korcek, “These suspects were very prolific in their activities and were able to steal thousands of dollars worth of goods, services and gift cards. They were very sophisticated in their actions and showed how much damage they can do in a short period of time.” Korcek also urges anyone who has gas pumps that take credit/debit/ATM cards to check their machines for anything suspicious. Open the machine and make sure nothing foreign has been placed in the area or connected to the card. These devices are usually inserted at night, after the business is closed. They are often in place for days, so they may be discovered if the machines are inspected daily. If anything is located, contact your local law enforcement agency. For consumers, always examine the credit card slot area of any machine you are using and look for anything suspicious. If you’re not sure, don’t use the machine and report it to the business and/or the police immediately.