WEST LINN, Ore. (KOIN) — Six people were arrested late last month for allegedly using stolen credit card information from over 100 people to buy thousands of dollars in gift cards, police said.
Authorities were initially tipped off when the group was accused of using stolen credit cards to buy gift cards from Safeway in West Linn on November 29.
They were seen driving off in a white GMC Yukon with California license plates, West Linn Police Dept. said. Soon after, they were spotted attempting the same crimes in Oregon City.
Investigators discovered the group purchased $11,379.91 in Apple gift cards using stolen credit card numbers, police said.
Officers followed the suspects’ car on I-205 and took them into custody. The stop closed I-205 northbound for about 30 minutes.
Ramadan Ahmed, 20, Filmont Matewos, 22, Yosief Tesfamariam, 23, Abdurhaman Hussein, 20, Sharmarke Abib, 21, and a juvenile girl were taken into custody.
The suspects, who are reportedly from the Seattle area, were all charged with first-degree aggravated theft, organized retail theft, aggravated identity theft, criminal possession of a forged instrument and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Abib was also lodged on a felony warrant from Washington, police said.
Investigators determined the group used credit card information from 110 victims from Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, New Jersey, Texas, Colorado and Wisconsin. They reportedly purchased gift cards from stores in Corvallis, Salem, Portland, West Linn, Lake Oswego, Oregon City and Seattle over a 2-day period.
The group attempted to purchase over $52,000 in gift cards, but were only able to get $26,000 worth. All of the gift cards from metro area thefts have been recovered, police said.
Authorities believe the gift cards were headed to the black market where they could be sold to fund other criminal activities.