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Getting a broken screen on a cell phone shouldn’t open individuals up to credit card fraud, but for one local resident, falling victim to fraud came with a new phone.
According Jeff Sullivan, the victim in the case, the incident began with an innocent trip to the local Verizon TTC retail store in Brewton.
“In October I broke the screen on my cell and upgraded to a new one at Verizon TTC retail outlet in Brewton,” Sullivan stated. “When the female sales rep stated that all purchases had to be made from behind the counter, a red flag went up. There were no chip readers on the counter but I went with it.”
Hoping for the best, Sullivan was notified of a problem from his credit card carrier.
“Several weeks passed and VISA Security contacted me,” Sullivan said. “They asked if I had paid bills with the card, purchased pizza on a daily basis, and booked five weekends at various Air B&B vacation destinations. I was not satisfied that the bank was crediting these purchases to my VISA account and would absorb the payments.”
Even though Sullivan believed he would be protected in the matter, making sure it didn’t happen to other customers was important.
“I contacted the Brewton Police Department,” Sullivan said. “I want to say that these professionals handled this case with the highest priority. Search warrants were processed and an arrest was made. In all probability many others in the Brewton area are also victims.”
On Tuesday, Sullivan said he had made contact with the District Attorneys office and was informed the case would be going before the grand jury later this month.
Shantavia Capri Harrison, of Evergreen, was arrested in November and charged with fraudulent use of credit/debit card in the case.
If you believe you or someone you know has been the victim of credit card fraud at Verizon, or any other retail outlet, contact Brewton Police at 251-867-3212.