Stolen credit cards scam results in $120k in transactions

The following incidents were taken from the City of Charleston Police Department’s crime reports within Team 5, which covers Daniel Island, Clements Ferry Road, and parts of Cainhoy. 

LARCENY BY FALSE PRETENSES 

On April 1, an officer responded to Seven Farms Drive in reference to a report of larceny by false pretenses. The complainant, an accountant for a business, stated that during the month of February, 17 fraudulent transactions totaling $120,000 were made through online sales. Stolen credit cards had been used to make the purchases. In March, the complainant discovered that credit card chargebacks had occurred against the transactions. The business provided financial statements to the police for use during their investigation. 

SEAT BELT VIOLATION 

Team 5 was called to Balfour Drive in reference to an injured victim who had fallen from a moving golf cart. Charleston Fire Department and Berkeley County EMS were on scene. The driver told police a juvenile passenger had leaned on a back door and fell out of the vehicle. The responding officer observed that the seatbelts had been left unbuckled in the back seat. The victim had briefly lost consciousness but appeared to be in stable condition. The driver was charged with failure to ensure a juvenile passenger was wearing a fastened seat belt.  

IDENTITY THEFT 

An officer met with a complainant on April 6 who explained that on March 25, she received a notice from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles confirming an online address change to a location in Walterboro, South Carolina. The woman stated that she did not change her address. On April 1, she received a bill for a new car loan and a notice from a credit card company that a new account had been opened in her name. She was able to freeze her credit after notifying the companies of the fraud.  

LARCENY 

On April 7, an officer responded to a construction site on Clements Ferry Road regarding a theft of a generator that had been rented for short-term use. The generator had been left on April 3 and was stolen sometime over the weekend. When the complainant returned to work on April 6, the equipment was missing. The loss is estimated at $2,000.  

BREACH OF TRUST/CONSPIRACY 

Charleston police responded to a store on Clements Ferry Road for a reported armed robbery around 9 a.m. on April 13. Police said an employee told them an unknown individual entered the business, implied he had a gun, and demanded money. After an investigation, police determined the employee staged the robbery to obtain money to bail an acquaintance out of jail. The employee was charged with breach of trust by fraudulent intent ($2,000-$10,000), conspiracy, and filing a false police report. 

CLEMENTS FERRY CHECKPOINT 

The Charleston Police Department, Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, and the South Carolina State Transport Police conducted a joint traffic enforcement operation April 20-21 on Clements Ferry Road. Deputies and officers focused on high-risk driving behaviors in an effort to improve roadway safety. Authorities issued 70 citations and 31 warnings. Of those traffic stops, 32 drivers were cited for exceeding the posted speed limit.