Pittsfield Township, Ann Arbor police seek help identifying thief
Police are seeking help to identify this man.
Pittsfield Township and Ann Arbor police are hoping someone will recognize a photo of a man accused of using a stolen credit card to buy hundreds of dollars in gift cards before the holidays.
Police say the credit card was stolen from a car in the Colonnade shopping center off Eisenhower Parkway in Ann Arbor on Dec. 7.
A man was then seen on video surveillance making purchases at the Target store on Waters Road in Pittsfield Township later that day. He left the store parking lot in a Honda Pilot.
The thief left in this vehicle.
Police say the same man also made purchases at Macy's, Best Buy and Meijer. Gift cards worth several hundred dollars were purchased.
According to police, the Target gift cards were used in Madison Heights and Dearborn. The Meijer gift cards were used in Livonia and Allen Park.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call Ann Arbor Detective Laura Burke at 734-734-794-6930, ext. 49305 or Pittsfield Township Detective James Maudlin at 734-944-4911, ext. 118.
Comments
annarborgirl77
Sat, Feb 27, 2010 : 2:29 p.m.
I appreciate all businesses that ask for my ID when I use my credit card. It seems like if this was a common practice it might have prevented this from happening.
Domey
Thu, Jan 14, 2010 : 6:55 a.m.
Put the expense of fraudulent use on the retailer, rather than the consumers, and this problem is reduced to extreme rarity. Just like all new laws are virtually written by corporations and passed into law by the legislators they have purchased, the interests of the people take a back seat.
bunnyabbot
Sat, Jan 9, 2010 : 5:55 p.m.
@bill. as a merchant I ask to see ID's of people who haven't been in my shop before. Credit card companies pass on the loss to consumers, as a consumer as well I don't like the idea that I help obsorb some of the expense of fraud either through the credit card company or at stores that I shop at. If a card says Mrs. Ethal Merman on it and a big thuggy looking man like that in the picture is using the card, I will be asking to see his ID. I'll take the moral highroad and have some personal integrity than the sale of a gift card that I will get the money from whether or not it is a fraudulant purchase. Why would I help retail theft or the crime that was committed that obtained the card?
Bill
Fri, Jan 8, 2010 : 10:25 p.m.
@bunnyabbot It's against most merchant agreements to ask for identification during a credit card purchase.
bunnyabbot
Fri, Jan 8, 2010 : 3:42 p.m.
how about images of from where the gift cards were used? simply avoided by cashiers asking to see ID's for sales transactions.
walker101
Fri, Jan 8, 2010 : 10:05 a.m.
Why do the cameras always seem to be so high, if it were just about 5'-6' height the images would be in a position directly looking at the suspect? Most cameras that take these photos are almost useless and never really give you a good shot. It would seem to me he knew that they all had cameras, by wearing a ball cap and lowering your head as you pass a camera it will somewhat block any facial pic's. I don't believe that by lowering someone who in this case is suspected of stealing CC would have the gall to over to the camera and tamper with it so that his image is blocked, most of the Best Buys I know of have customer service personnel by the doorway greeting you on the way in or out.
sheeple
Fri, Jan 8, 2010 : 9:17 a.m.
Too bad the low-res parking lot cam isn't able to capture a legible license plate number. But then, if the Honda is not his anyway, I suppose it would not lead to an immediate arrest.
thinkplease
Fri, Jan 8, 2010 : 7:52 a.m.
My interest lies in whether the Honda Pilot is stolen. This guy appears to be dressed well (though he could have bought his clothes with a stolen credit card I suppose) and is driving a relatively expensive vehicle; yet he is out there thieving and being a menace to society.