$140,000 in College Textbook stolen by R&L Carriers employees in NJ
Two Willingboro, NJ residents are facing theft, fraud and computer criminal activity charges. Police said that 50-year-old Thomas and 55-year-old Patricia Collier were arrested after township police were made aware on March 25 of a possible theft and fraud that was occurring at R&L Carriers. A three week investigation found that Thomas Collier was taking textbooks that were awaiting shipment to various schools, and selling the books to a number of websites that buy back textbooks. The theft took place between April 2013 and March 2015, police said. The approximate loss is valued at $140,000. Police said that both Thomas and Patricia Collier received charges of theft, criminal computer activity and fraud. Thomas Collier's bail was set at $110,000, Patricia Collier was released on her own recognizance, police said. trentonian.com

Investigator details $140K credit card scheme at Michigan Meijer stores
The case against four Detroit-area men who allegedly used stolen credit card accounts to obtain Meijer gift cards provides a look at the evolving crime that has primarily targeted chain stores in West Michigan for years. The tactic, called "carding," typically involves scammers buying stolen credit card account information online. Hackers provide the information after breaking into credit card databases, David Dodd, a special agent for the U.S. Secret Service, wrote in federal court documents. He said buyers then encode the information onto their own credit cards or stored-value cards. The cards are then used at big box retailers, particularly Meijer stores, where they are used to buy expensive items, such as iPads, iPhones and new gift cards. mlive.com

Hobby Lobby thief charged with Organized Retail Theft in Lake Havasu, AZ
Alina B. Click, 23, of Lake Havasu City, was arrested Saturday on charges of organized retail theft and two counts of identity theft. Officers say that click entered Hobby Lobby at 1795 N. Highway 95 with a personal bag. Within the store, according to police, she placed shoplifted merchandise in the bag without the intent of paying. When Click was stopped and searched by officers, Click was allegedly found in the possession of identification cards belonging to two other women. According to officers, Click admitted to having these cards with the intent of using them to complete transactions at other stores. havasunews.com

KFC in Toledo, OH hit for $7,800 in chicken
For the second time in a week, a KFC in central Toledo was the victim of a large-scale chicken theft overnight on Thursday. An unidentified person or people broke into an outside storage shed and stole approximately $4,800 worth of chicken from the restaurant, 2902 Monroe St., between about 10 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday, police said. Additional information on the theft was unavailable. A store employee declined to comment Sunday. Between 11 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday, an outside storage shed was pried open with a metal pipe, and 10 cases of chicken valued at about $3,000 were reportedly taken, according to police. toledoblade.com

Four facing Federal Charges of credit card fraud at Tequesta, FL Publix
Four men have been accused of committing credit card fraud last month at a Tequesta Publix. Jordy Hechavarria Morales, Yoandy Hechavarria Morales, Christian Vinent and Addel Fernandez Camejo all face charges of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices. They were taken into custody March 24, according to a federal criminal complaint. Tequesta police were called to the Publix on March 24 in response to four individuals possibly using stolen credit cards to buy gift cards. Arriving officers noticed two men walking through the parking lot, and they matched the description dispatch gave of the wanted men. Police then saw the men exit the parking lot in a black SUV. After running a stop sign, according to the complaint, the men were pulled over by police. The driver, Vinent, admitted to police the group used stolen credit cards. Police arrested Yoandy Hechavarria Morales on a warrant out of Broward County and Vinent for driving with a suspended license. Police reported finding 145 credit cards with the mens' names or aliases, 16 gift cards and two fake Florida licenses. Some of the cards were found to be re-encoded, according to the complaint. palmbeachpost.com

Prescription Drug Ring Charged in San Juan, PR; Investigators say they were faking prescriptions for profit  Four people were charged with taking part in a prescription drug ring. Melissa Benavidez, Beatrice Mendez, Berenice Maldonado, and Arnold Pena were all charged with engaging in organized crime, and prescription fraud. Investigators say Melissa Benavidez used her job at a doctors office to get prescription pads and phone in more than 60 prescriptions for Xanax. "It was very oragnized. We believe that the people that were arraigned today were providing the names of family members for some sort of either cash return or maybe even paid in some of the prescriptions that were picked up," says Sgt. Rolando Garcia of the San Juan Police Department. Police have issued warrants for two other people in connection to the arrests. They hope to make those arrests soon. krgv.com

Australian Hells Angels member charged with $3,000 in credit card fraud offences  A senior member of the Hells Angels OMCG has been charged with fraud offences after investigations by the Fraud and Cybercrime Squad. Strike Force Baliga is a Fraud and Cybercrime Squad investigation into the cloning of credit cards which are then used to make purchases in stores. Police will allege that earlier this year, a number of transactions were made using stolen credit card details at stores in Sydney's inner and south west valued at almost $3000. Fraud and Cybercrime Squad detectives sought the assistance of the Gangs Squad's Strike Force Raptor, which resulted in the arrest of a 42-year-old man at Parramatta Police Station on Friday 10 April 2015. The senior member of the Hells Angels was charged with 13 counts of fraud and granted conditional bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday 20 May 2015. police.nsw.gov.au