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A West Frankfort woman stands accused of multiple counts of credit card fraud and identity theft after police say she used illegally obtained credit cards to wrack up in excess of $35,000 in debt.
“We were contacted by the alleged victim on October 23, saying that someone had stopped mail delivery to their home,” West Frankfort Chief of Police Jeff Tharp told the Daily American Friday.
Police say Suzanne M. Mandrell, 34, of West Frankfort, obtained several of the alleged victim’s credit cards, charging in excess of $35,000 on them.
“Mandrell has been charged with numerous counts of credit card fraud and the postal inspector is also assisting us with the case,” said Tharp.
Charges were filed against Mandrell on November 17 and police say she turned herself in to authorities on December 5 after a Franklin County warrant was issued for her arrest. She stands accused of five counts each of unlawful use of a credit card and identity theft.
Tharp said that despite the approximately two months that elapsed between the initial complaint and Mandrell’s being taken into custody, the case actually unfolded rather rapidly.
“It actually happened pretty quickly for this type of case,” said Tharp. “We were dealing with several credit card agencies and tracking the paper trail in order to submit a completed case to the State’s Attorney’s office.”
The chief also offered a handful of tips to help locals prevent identity theft and credit card fraud from adversely affecting them.
“To prevent becoming a victim of identity theft and people incurring debt in your name, make sure you’re receiving your monthly credit statements from your banking facility and bi-annually conduct a credit report on yourself to make sure no unauthorized transactions have incurred debt in your name.”
A West Frankfort woman stands accused of multiple counts of credit card fraud and identity theft after police say she used illegally obtained credit cards to wrack up in excess of $35,000 in debt.
“We were contacted by the alleged victim on October 23, saying that someone had stopped mail delivery to their home,” West Frankfort Chief of Police Jeff Tharp told the Daily American Friday.
Police say Suzanne M. Mandrell, 34, of West Frankfort, obtained several of the alleged victim’s credit cards, charging in excess of $35,000 on them.
“Mandrell has been charged with numerous counts of credit card fraud and the postal inspector is also assisting us with the case,” said Tharp.
Charges were filed against Mandrell on November 17 and police say she turned herself in to authorities on December 5 after a Franklin County warrant was issued for her arrest. She stands accused of five counts each of unlawful use of a credit card and identity theft.
Tharp said that despite the approximately two months that elapsed between the initial complaint and Mandrell’s being taken into custody, the case actually unfolded rather rapidly.
“It actually happened pretty quickly for this type of case,” said Tharp. “We were dealing with several credit card agencies and tracking the paper trail in order to submit a completed case to the State’s Attorney’s office.”
The chief also offered a handful of tips to help locals prevent identity theft and credit card fraud from adversely affecting them.
“To prevent becoming a victim of identity theft and people incurring debt in your name, make sure you’re receiving your monthly credit statements from your banking facility and bi-annually conduct a credit report on yourself to make sure no unauthorized transactions have incurred debt in your name.”
