BOONE, N.C. — Boone Police charged two men in connection with a retail fraud scheme involving stolen credit and debit card information.
Police say the suspects, Julian Hernando Tellez Patino and Patricio Lucero, attempted to purchase thousands of dollars worth of tractor-trailer tires from local Boone businesses.
This type of scheme involves using stolen card information to process fraudulent payments. Once the payments are processed, the suspects were dispatched to collect the merchandise.
Officers say this type of fraud usually triggers a bank chargeback once the true cardholder reports the charges. This results in significant losses for the targeted businesses who lose the physical products and the associated revenue.
After receiving reports of the scam, the Boone Police Department launched an operation on May 15 to intercept three people who arrived to pick up the stolen tires. After interviewing the suspects, Patino and Lucero were criminally charged.
The suspects face multiple felony charges of obtaining property by false pretenses, conspiracy to commit organized retail fraud and identity theft.
They are expected to appear in court on July 8.