Police Track Identity Thief's Charges in Clinton Twp; Suspects Shoplift $26K in Lowe's Tools

Police track debit card cloner through local purchases

Working with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, Clinton Township police say they have identified a local man suspected of cloning an Illinois resident’s debit card to go on a one-day shopping spree in Clinton and Washington townships.

Cloning, or "skimming" as it is sometimes known, is a form of identity theft in which the suspect obtains the victim’s credit card details and copies them onto a counterfeit card. This can even include a working magnetic strip and security holograms, according to Creditnet.com.

Clinton Township police were alerted to the theft by the DeKalb Police Department in Illinois. A representative of the local branch of Castle Bank/First National Bank of Omaha initially reported two instances of unlawful use of a debit card, but Clinton Township police and sheriff’s deputies have since traced more, according to police.

Using the counterfeit card, police say the suspect purchased $2,258 worth of merchandise on Jan. 17 from auto and tractor supply businesses in Clinton and Washington townships.

The victim’s bank shut down the account after the theft was discovered.

The suspect had not been arrested as of Friday.

Search on for suspects accused of shoplifting $26,000 in tools 

Police in Clinton Township and throughout the Metro Detroit are on the lookout for two suspects in a series of thefts reported at area Lowe’s stores.

The most recent Clinton Township theft occurred shortly before 8 a.m. Feb. 4, when the Gratiot store reported two suspects had stolen six cordless drills, worth approximately $1,750, according to police.

Loss prevention officers at the store told police the same two men were thought to have stolen some $26,000 in merchandise from other Lowe’s stores in the area.

The men were seen leaving the store in a white Chevy Cruz with no plate. Two other people were also in the car, according to the police report.

Police say some of the stolen items have been recovered from area pawn dealers, but the suspects have not been identified.

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