Three Nigerian nationals have been arrested in connection to a large-scale credit card scam running to about $650,000.
The culprits were alleged to have used two southwest Houston businesses to defraud people of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Nigerian nationals, one 53-year-old Shalewa Olayinka, along with Christy Tifase, a local business owner and Maxwell Ezenwa are all faced with a charge of engaging in organised criminal activity.
According to records, Olayinka had applied for and obtained a total of 116 credit cards in 12 other people names from eight different financial institutions before he was caught. Records show that he applied for the credit cards in the victim’s name and thereafter stole the cards from their mailbox upon delivery.
Investigators further revealed that Olayinka possessesd a Square card reader which was attached to his cell phone registered under the “Sleek Auto Sales” business name. Further investigations revealed that Olayinka would run the stolen credit cards in his southwest Houston apartment and thereafter deposit the money into his bank account.
Olayinka was reported to have connived with the other two arrested culprits in running the fraudulent business which was reported to have stolen more than $650,000.