IRON MOUNTAIN, MI— Two Georgia residents have been arrested for using fake credit cards in the U.P.
On May 19, the Iron Mountain MSP Post was contacted by a local business that said two people had used fraudulent credit cards to purchase thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise at its stores in Menominee, Dickinson, and Iron counties.
Troopers began an investigation with Iron Mountain Police and shared a description of the suspects’ vehicle. Auburn Hills Police found the vehicle at a mall in the city and arrested Jonathan Daniels, 34, of Lithonia, Georgia and Shanee Clark, 28, of Covington, Georgia. They were transported to the Dickinson County Jail.
Both suspects were arraigned Friday on charges of larceny by conversion between $1,000 and $20,000, three counts of uttering and publishing, and three counts of possession of a fraudulent financial transaction device. They were also charged with being habitual offenders. Daniels and Clark are next due in court on June 5.
Any other potential victims of the scam are asked to call their local Michigan State Police Post.
Michigan State Police say the scam unfolds as follows: It’s believed the purchase of merchandise is made at a store using a fake card. When the payment is processed at the store, an error is found in the system, but the purchase still goes through as a “stand in” or offline transaction. Later, the bank rejects the payment because the card was fake and not linked to a real account. The bank then sends a chargeback to the store, which means the store must cover the cost of the stolen merchandise.
To protect themselves from such scams, retailers should always send transactions online to get approval right away. Do not allow “offline” transactions or for the card data to be entered manually. Also, check the card to see if it looks fake or changed. If anything seems suspicious, call law enforcement immediately.
