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01/17/2006

Phony credit card ring broken up
By JASON VALLEE , Staff Writer

NEWINGTON -- The police department has charged three New York men it says used fake credit cards with magnetic strips containing the legitimate information of unknowing victims.
Wen Lu Jia, Zhang Ming and Zheng Jian Jiang, all of Flushing, N.Y., were charged last week with illegal use of a credit card, three counts of conspiracy to commit illegal use of a credit card, third-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit third-degree larceny, five counts of third-degree theft, third-degree forgery and five counts of credit card theft.

In addition, Jia has been charged with an additional count of third-degree forgery, and Ming faces charges of fourth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit fourth-degree larceny and being an accessory to an illegal use of a credit card.

"The suspects were going to stores on the Berlin Turnpike with fake credit cards and matching fake New York state IDs, but the credit cards were linked to actual credit accounts," said Lt. Stephen Clark of the Newington Police Department. "The investigation showed that the magnetic strips contained genuine financial information from unsuspecting victims who live as far away as Florida and California."

Police said the investigation has not concluded how the suspects were able to obtain the magnetic information strips. The group is also believed to be a part of a fraudulent credit card ring from the New York area, the department said, and details from the investigation have been forwarded to the U.S. Secret Service.

Detectives first began investigating the illegal activity after receiving a, ID theft complaint filed with the Fort Collins, Colo., Police Department in September 2005, Clark said.

The complaint filed by the victim in Colorado stated the victim had found unauthorized purchases made at locations along the Berlin Turnpike in Newington, including Best Buy, Home Depot and Toys-R-Us, as well as at several locations in Berlin.

During their investigation, officers contacted each of the local companies where fraudulent purchases had been made to notify them of the situation and to be aware of any suspicious activity in their stores.

Last Thursday, their request to the local stores paid off when police received a call from an employee at Home Depot. Clark said the employee reported that three Asian men had come in acting suspicious and took off in a vehicle after their attempt to make a purchase failed.

Clark said the incident at Home Depot gave the department reason to believe the group would visit another location where purchases had previously been made. Officers were sent to each of the store parking lots and were told to look for the suspects.

"Detectives were surveying the parking lots when the suspects were located at the Toys-R-Us," Clark said. "The warrants were then applied and the arrests were made."

At the time of the arrests, the suspects were in possession of more than a dozen fraudulent debit and credit cards, each with a fake New York ID to match. These cards have connected officials to the purchase of electronics equipment and gift cards totaling $5,358, the department stated in a press release.

All three suspects are facing similar charges of fraud and credit card theft for related fraudulent purchases at locations in Berlin.

Police also indicated on Monday that they have reason to believe two of the three men could be illegal immigrants and are still investigating their citizenship status.

Jason Vallee can be reached at jvallee@newbritainherald.com or by calling (860) 225-4601, Ext. 236.