GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Lawrenceville police say an alert clerk at the local Walmart helped them track down three suspects who used debit and credit cards with stolen bank information.
The fraud bust is the latest one in Gwinnett County, where police are increasingly cracking down on identity fraud.
Police recently raided an apartment complex in Atlanta and uncovered more than 800 credit, debit and gift cards that were encoded with stolen bank information.
"This was very large," said Detective James Flanagan. "This was all over Gwinnett County and Atlanta."
Gwinnett County police have a full unit dedicated to investigating fraud cases.
These cases can go state to state, county to county, city to city," said Flanagan. "They are very large and they often are people working almost like a pyramid from the top down."
In the Walmart incident, Lawrenceville police said a clerk became suspicious after the suspects purchased several iPads.
Police have charged Christopher Hamilton, Martavius Watkins and Kadeem Robinson. All are from Gwinnett County. They are unsure how the suspects allegedly stole the bank information.
"I think it's crazy," said Donald Harvey, a shopper who learned about the Walmart fraud. "People trying to get your identity and stealing your stuff?"
Gwinnett County police have a special unit dedicated to investigating fraud.
"Credit card fraud happens every day," said Flanagan. "Everyone I know has been a victim of it. It's almost to that extent... Identity fraud is something that's a huge problem and one we're constantly investigating."
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
