Three teenagers are facing allegations they broke into fitness club lockers to skim victims’ credit cards and personal information, which the trio then used to make fraudulent purchases across Long Island over the past three months.
Suffolk County police this week arrested Latique Oates of Freeport and Rameez Senior of St. Albans, both 19, after 19-year-old Andre Clayton of Freeport was taken into custody last month.
Police said the threesome broke into lockers at gyms, used a portable skimming device to steal information the victims’ from debit and credit cards, photographed victims’ driver’s licenses and then return the items to the lockers.
They then allegedly used the stolen account and personal info to create clones of the victims’ cards, which the suspects used to buy gift cards and make purchases at BJ’s Wholesale and Home Depot, police said.
Long Island’s $2 Million-a-year Counterfeiting Problem
The trio is being investigated for running the same scam across the tri-state area, according to Suffolk police, who credited Nassau, Freeport and Hempstead police for assisting the investigation. Suffolk police discovered the pattern of thefts in December.
Oates, Senior and Clayton were each charged with grand larceny. Oates was released without bail after being arraigned Wednesday at First District Court in Hempstead on charges of possession of a forged instrument. He and Senior are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Central Islip on identity theft charges.
Clayton is free on $10,000 bail following his arraignment in Central Islip last month and is due back in court Tuesday. He’s facing additional charges of assault, possession of a skimming device, unlawful possession of personal identification information and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Suffolk Identity Theft detectives are continuing the investigation and ask anyone with information on this case or who believes they may have been a victim of these suspects to call the squad at 631-852-6821 or anonymously Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
