3 ARRESTED IN CREDIT CARD SCHEME ?13BY JAXON VAN DERBEKEN DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER.Police arrested three people Tuesday on suspicion of operating a forgery ring that used stolen credit information to open bogus credit card accounts. During a search of two North Hollywood apartments, police seized $75,000 in merchandise and dozens of fake credit cards, false identification and other documents, said Detective Juan Baello of the Valley Forgery detail. Ogwuobu Ojoir, 24, was arrested on suspicion of credit card fraud Credit card fraud is a wide-ranging term for theft and fraud committed using a credit card or any similar payment mechanism as a fraudulent source of funds in a transaction. The purpose may be to obtain goods without paying, or to obtain unauthorized funds from an account. and is being held on more than $1 million bail. Ojoir had been arrested April 4 in Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, residential city (1990 pop. 60,569), Contra Costa co., W Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area; inc. 1914. It is the trade and shipping center of an extensive agricultural area where walnuts are among the major product. , but skipped bail and was being sought on a warrant at the time of his arrest, Baello. Ojoir, described as the leader of the ring that was broken Tuesday, apparently had a source to obtain credit information, which the ring then used to take out credit cards. Ignatius Aboh, 24 was also arrested along with Tmen Lace, 31, both on suspicion of credit card fraud, Baello said. A 17-year-old girl, an acquaintance of one of the suspects, was detained but later released. Baello said the volume of the operation was brisk. ``I checked on one of the credit cards and it showed that in a nine-day period, they charged over $24,000 - they were shopping in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. , Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden - they went to the best stores.'' They also drive leased luxury cars. Baello said the suspects often come to the U.S. posing as students, then drop out of school while operating the rings. ``They make thousands and thousands of dollars, most of the time they just launder Launder To move illegally acquired cash through financial systems so that it appears to be legally acquired. the money out of the country, back to their home country in Nigeria.'' |
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