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Deputies: Woman Steals Customer’s Credit Card, Charges $5K
June 20, 2011
A Century woman is accused of using a Food Giant customer’s credit card to purchase over $5,000 worth of money orders that she then cashed.
Kimeko M. Cooper, age 34 of Front Street, is facing a felony grand theft charge and 14 felony counts of fraudulent use of credit cards.
A Flomaton woman filed a report with the Flomaton Police Department that her credit card was used fraudulently over about a one month period beginning in February at the Food Giant in Century.
A Food Giant investigator determined that the stolen Visa card was used to purchase 14 different money orders totaling $5,763.14. Each of the money orders were cashed at the store and put in their next day’s deposit. All were handled by one employee, according to store records. The Food Giant investigator also determined that Cooper worked on each day the money orders were sold or cashed.
According to the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office, Cooper admitted to deputies that she found the victim’s card on the counter in the store’s office. She also admitted to deputies that she used the card to purchase the 14 money orders that she then cashed at the store.
Cooper was released from the Escambia County Jail on $3,900 bond.
Comments
21 Responses to “Deputies: Woman Steals Customer’s Credit Card, Charges $5K”
(in response to dad) I did and even changed my home phone number.
Just my words, I don’t mean to scare you and you are probably OK since this happened in April but you might want to get your locks changed. Now whoever stole your purse has your address and house keys.
I have seen this woman working at Food Giant. She was/is working in the office. So she, took it upon herself to take this card. No one else my have even been “careless”. Which is also sad! She is a thief and a con-artist. Clearly she conned the manager there to believe she was a trust worthy person. The Love of money is the root of all evil!!!! Sad she wasn’t caught after the 1st money order, instead of the 15th. In the end, she told the truth, but would she have had she not been caught? I don’t think so.
sorry my late husbands pictures,
I am also a victim of my own careless, while on lunch on April 2nd I left my purse outside on the ground at the end of the walk at Dollar General in Century, I wasn’t use to taking it out with me and just forgot about when I started talking with a customer anyway it was sometime later that I thought about and yes it was gone, the only thing of value in it was my mothers rings she left me when she passed away, I had my birth cert/ebt/debit/drivers lic/ss card/pictures of my late husband/which so far I have be able to replace. It would be nice if the party that took the purse would mail back the ID’S a police report was taken due to the rings(which are engraged) so far they are not turned up at any pawn shops. So I feel for the person whose card was misused. I myself feel well like it’s hard to say,there were personal things in there. my house and car keys and it maybe wrong but I wish nothing but the worst for the party that took the purse and decided not to do the right thing.
Maybe she was trying to pay her speeding ticket from the week before.
To those who are say ing no worries the credit card company pays for it. That is correct but in the mean time we all pay for the loss in the form of fees and high interest rates. Then we complain about the rates. Go figure!
Surely the misplacing of the card by the owner and the mishandling of it by the finder doesn’t provide an excuse for this person to take possession of it unlawfully. I hope that is not what is being inferred.
The credit card company takes the loss. The victim has zero liability unless she or someone in her household received benefits or goods (which she obviously didn’t in this case). That’s why credit card company’s require a police report – once the report is filed, the money is refunded to the victim and the credit card company is listed as a 2nd. victim by taking the loss. The credit card company insure’s charges are pressed against the thief.
sw- whoever was in control/possession of the possibly lost card that was found and turned in, had a responsibility to keep it reasonably secured until the owner was located- thats what i would expect if my card was lost and found.
WHAT?
The reason the card was there is of no issue. This woman knew it wasn’t hers and she didn’t have permission to use it. The victim is the victim. There is no excuse for stealing or taking what is not yours.
Good grief, with this mindset, it’s no wonder society is in a downward spiral.
“I’m sure she (the victim) has learned a lesson by her mistake in the mean time she is out 5,000 plus dollars.”
No, she isn’t. I had AMEX call me once about over 5k of charges I didn’t make (I had the card in my wallet at the time of the phone call).
I never had to pay one cent of that. AMEX erased it from my statement and issued me a new card with a new number. People, if you are a victim of money or credit fraud, DO NOT PAY ONE CENT to the bank or the credit card company.
Throw the book at her.
She is a serial thief !
If the woman is guilty there are no excuses about why was it left on the counter and so on. Did you ever stop to think the victim might have dropped it or forgot it by mistake? I’m sure she has learned a lesson by her mistake in the mean time she is out 5,000 plus dollars. So, you see a credit card laying there and you take it and use it for your wants or needs how can you justify this. It is a criminal act and as pointed out in an earlier comentary she had about 15 chances to choose not to do the wrong thing. But it appears she did it any way. No sympathy here no matter how good the family or the person. It has nothing to do with the family actually it has to do with a stupid decission she herself made no one else. Throw the book at her if guilty.
On a side note I have on different ocassions seen people drop money, credit cards and so on and would get it and run them down to get it back in their hands. That is simply being honest. Why is it that so many people want what is someone else’s and does not belong to them?
JIM all for being honest and using common sense!
IF its true, that she “found the victims credit card laying on the counter of the stores office” as she has said..well, i would have to wonder why was it laying there- unattended/unsecured, and not in the victims posession…just wondering..
She had at least 15 opportunities to decide not to do the wrong thing, but chose to do that which would hurt someone else in order to feed her own greed. She’s just another common criminal and she definitely needs our prayers!
Ms. Cooper admitted she did it. This is a wrong doing toward another innocent victim. READERS….. think about what it has done to the victim’s credit, also who is the loser of the funds in the end? The store? The Victim? Certainly not the credit card company. The 10 commandments… THOU SHALL NOT STEAL!
no excuses. she’s a criminal, no sympathy here.
I know the Coopers to be good people, I am sure I have not met the whole extended family.
In cases the bond should be the amount taken. If they cant pay then they stay.
go ahead folks and start saying how wonderful this woman is and how we don’t know her and she would not do this…….
give me a break, it is a sad time when you can no longer trust the employees who are paid to do a job at a store many shop at. This kind of abuse makes me want to pay cash everywhere and never use plastic! but I am sure the criminal minded employees would take notice and tell their low life friends and I would get mugged in the parking lot!
to think this woman actually has a job, when so many do not, and she would still do something like this, just blows my mind!