For 10 years ERAD has been helping law enforcement investigate cloned and fraudulent card cases more efficiently. The cloned card feature in the investigative platform can show the agent in real time what data is on the card, alerting them to a possible cloned card.
ERAD makes the process of adding cloned cards to the platform easy. In just a few short steps officers can swipe the card, view the information that is encoded on the card, and then take actionable steps if the information doesn’t match. The ability to capture a picture of the card, to make notes, and to add issuer discrepancy to the case file is simple and quick.
Educate your patrol officers, deputies, and anyone in your agency that may potentially come across cloned cards. It is important for them to understand what to look for as well as how to use ERAD. They’ll never find a card if they don’t know to look for.
This was true for a Pennsylvania stolen card case. State Police at Leighton were dispatched to a service station where a Florida man was under suspicion for pumping 148 gallons of gas on to the bed of his truck under 7 different transactions with 7 different cards. After further investigation it was determined that the suspect had 31 Walmart gift cards that were cloned debit and credit cards, drawn upon accounts from several banks.
ERAD was used during the incident to run the cards onsite. Having ERAD available at the crime scene allowed investigators to immediately identify the counterfeit cards and document the forgery.
Important steps to remember:
- Implement clearly defined policies for handling cards. Do you have a policy in place that explicitly covers cards, payment cards, or access devices? A card policy ensures that when discovery and investigations occur, no one inadvertently blows up a case because the policy wasn’t followed.
- Challenge the obvious. Just because it looks like something, doesn’t mean it is. Use your investigative and detective skills to identify forgeries and counterfeit cards.
- Deploy the right investigative tools. Time is of the essence when investigating card fraud crimes and your team needs the right process and tools in place to help simplify the process. ERAD offers an online, investigative tool that can help agencies and financial institutions like yours. Quickly identify fraudulent cards, seize funds, and document the information for prosecution.