INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Authorities nabbed two people accused of racking up thousands of dollars on stolen credit cards in an “account takeover” scheme on Tuesday.
The co-defendants from Miami were caught using one of the fraudulent cards at the Indian River County Target, according to the arrest report. The two attempted to purchase $1,184 worth of merchandise and gift cards, but the fraudulent credit card was rejected at the register.
Raquel Evans, 22, of Miami Gardens, now faces charges that include fraudulent use of a credit card, identity theft, and unauthorized use or possession of a driver’s license or identification card.
Sheldon Palmer, 33, of Miami, now faces charges that include felony criminal use of personal identification information, fraudulent use of a credit card and possession of a fictitious driver’s license.
Authorities found two fake identification cards on Evans’ person, one with her own photo and another with Palmer’s photo. Each identification card had a name that matched one of two credit cards police also recovered from Evans.
The credit cards were stolen in what authorities call an “account takeover” in which the defendants stole valid credit cards intended to be delivered as replacement cards to a rightful owner.
Evans and Palmer ran up more than $4,000 worth of charges on one card and approximately $7,500 on the other before they were caught.
Evans is being held in lieu of $200,000 bond and Palmer’s bond is set at $150,000.