HOLLAND (WKZO-AM) — Five people from Miami have been arrested for their involvement in what is believed to be a card skimming operation, where gas pumps were allegedly rigged to steal credit card information.
Sgt. Terry Dixon said the Kent County Fraud and Identity Theft Team caught wind of the ring not from the skimming operation, but efforts to turn the stolen information into cash.
“The investigation began when we were tipped that subjects were using an illegal financial transaction device,” Dixon said.
The team then set up surveillance and tracked them buying thousands of dollars in gift cards using cloned credit cards at a Meijer in Holland.
Based on that, they were able to get a warrant to search their hotel rooms, where they found more cloned cards, gift cards and one of the devices.
“We do not know if it was used in any of the other skimming incidents that have been in and around the city of Grand Rapids,” Dixon said.
Card skimmers have been found at three gas stations in Kent County, Dowagiac County and Shiawassee County.
The five suspects are being held on $1 million bond.
– John McNeill
