i saw this in a florida newspaper. but for some reason it wasnt reported anywhere else. i can't find it in any other newspapers or news broadcasts and it is pretty important. Amex employees in Plantation accused in $500,000 credit-card fraud By Jeff Shields Staff writer Posted December 2 2002 Email story Print story MORE HEADLINES Fascination passengers trying to focus on anything but virus Amber Alert issued for missing Lake Worth teen, her ex-boyfriend Dolphins' Taylor says he ripped gun away from stepfather during scuffle Venezuelan protesters battle troops, strike goes on Orlando-area deputies among first to get smallpox vaccine They struck from within the heart of the American Express regional nerve center in Plantation, and when they were done, they had bought nearly half a million dollars worth of Gucci bags and other merchandise with credit card information given to them by trusting customers. Two customer service representatives from the American Express Southern Regional Operations Center are wanted on federal warrants for illegally trafficking in credit card information, while their alleged accomplice, a West Palm Beach woman, pleaded guilty late last month to fraud charges. Oona Brown, also known as Amanda Jackson, faces up to five years in prison following her guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud. Brown, 29, admitted to buying credit card information from American Express employees Valeria Elmore and Cassandra McKenzie and agreed to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Brown used that information to take over people's credit card accounts, buying more than $450,000 of goods over the phone before the Secret Service caught up with her. Elmore and McKenzie are wanted on federal arrest warrants following their Aug. 29 indictment and have not yet appeared in court. They have been fired from their jobs, an American Express spokeswoman said. The investigation The federal investigation began in October 2001 when an American Express fraud investigator compared call records of existing employees at the regional call center at 777 American Express Way in Plantation, with known cases of fraud. The investigator then contacted the U.S. Secret Service, which as part of the U.S. Treasury Department, investigates these types of crimes. The internal American Express investigation showed that Elmore had accessed 35 accounts resulting in $315,000 in fraud, and McKenzie had accessed 21 accounts causing $140,000 in fraud, Secret Service special agent Brian Russell wrote in a federal complaint. Elmore worked in the dispute section of the call center, where she was responsible for contacting American Express cardholders by telephone and verifying disputes and changes to their accounts, according to the indictment. McKenzie took calls from customers who requested information or changes to their accounts. Russell stated that Elmore and McKenzie would obtain the four-digit security codes printed on the face of American Express cards. They would then access the accounts, assess their value, then sell account information to Brown, Russell said. Brown used the information to change the card member address and telephone information to her own, and then make purchases by telephone, computer and catalog. McKenzie, questioned last year, said Brown gave her a Gucci bag in exchange for information. Gucci was one of the companies from which Brown had made large purchases. A common scheme This type of scheme is called credit card takeover and is common, said Linda Foley, executive director of the Identify Theft Resource Center in San Diego, a national organization that helps victims of identity fraud. Judy Tenzer, spokeswoman for American Express, said card members are never held liable for fraudulent purchases. American Express does background checks on its employees to keep this from happening, she said, and investigators regularly monitor employees' activity for possible fraud. Foley said her organizations are encouraging companies to conduct ongoing background checks, instead of one background check when someone is hired. Florida leads nation Florida leads the nation in credit card fraud, and was a hot topic at an identity fraud conference in Tallahassee Oct. 25. Alex Sanchez, CEO of the Florida Bankers Association, said consumers can avoid account takeover by making sure they receive their bills on time, and destroying credit card receipts they throw out. Other consumer tips on avoiding credit card fraud can be found at www.idtheftcenter.org. Jeff Shields can be reached at jshields@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4531.
You should've talked to Valeria Elmore or Cassandra McKenzie. I'm sure you would've gotten what you wanted. Maybe more. Charlie
Jonesing - http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&pgnum=2&postid=276679#post276679 - must be sweating bricks about now.
Reading between the lines, it seems like the two women who worked for AMEX needed the CUSTOMER to give them the four digit code (which I think means they could run the transactions as "card present"). That means they couldn't just type account numbers into their computer and get all the information they needed to perpetrate the fraud. I find that an interesting insight into the limitations placed on CSR's for security reasons. BTW, Visa & M/C have the same kind of code, it's the three digits follwing the account number embossed on the BACK of the card.
Wow!! I worked at that Amex in Fort Lauderdale in 1995. Don't remember those girls though. I worked in the Customer Service Center also.
Well, I gotta say, they must be dumber than rocks to think they could ever get away with it. And for a Gucci purse?? Get serious!! You know they'll be prosecuted, and it's federal. Oh well, I hear federal prisons are nicer than state prisons, LOL.
--^..^-- perk! I heard my name? Yeah well after reading all this I'm really rethinking if I need this card. It's interesting to note that each time I call AMEX security they ask me for the 4 digit card security code to verify I have the card in-hand. I'm going to have to mention this the next time I call these people.
You mean like the Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc in Lompoc, California? It's been likened to a Federal Country Club! That's where Enron types would be sent if they ever see jail time.
Hmmmm, I don't call them very often. It seems it's much safer with the system doing the verifying prior to transferring the call to a CSR, and when the CSR gets the call the account is already on the screen, and they don't ask any verifying questions. I can see why you'd hesitate, but honestly, working in a secure environment (insurance companies deal with similar issues), this kind of thing can happen, and the only thing is to have systems in place to detect it and deal with it. Human nature being what it is, somebody can pass a pre-employment background check because they look "clean," but the fact is, they've never really had the opportunity to do anything that would show up on their record, so you don't know til they get that opportunity.
