Man charged with credit card fraud
A Bethlehem area man has been charged with fraud in an attempt to help feed his and his ex-girlfriend’s drug problem.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Detective Kevin Buck of the Palmerton Borough Police Department:
On Aug. 18, it was discovered that numerous transactions totaling $1,123 were made using an H & R Block Emerald Prepaid MasterCard.
Four Western Union money transfers were made from the credit card to the defendant, identified as Tammy Jankowski.
Several account to account transfers through PayPal were made to an account listed under Jankowski’s name.
On Oct. 7, Buck interviewed Jankowski at Berks County Prison, who said that she and her then boyfriend, Aaron Miller, 41, were suffering from a bad drug problem.
Jankowski said that they had access to the male victim’s information and would repeatedly take money from him.
Jankowski said that with the Western Union transactions, they would retrieve the money at Rite Aid in Palmerton, and on the account to account transactions, she could access the money through an ATM machine anywhere.
Miller faces charges on four counts of criminal conspiracy, and one count each of access device fraud, identity theft, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, and receiving stolen property.
He is currently incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $2,500 straight bail, and is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Wednesday before District Judge William Kissner of Palmerton.
