Ernis Perez Valdez (Photo by West Melbourne Police)WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
A man whom police say could be responsible for more than $100,000 in fraudulent credit-card transactions in four months could have "numerous" victims, they said.
West Melbourne Police arrested Ernis Perez Valdez, 42, on Tuesday morning and charged him with three counts of unauthorized credit card use.
Detectives have identified two victims but "anticipate numerous other victims," they said.
Just after 8 a.m. Tuesday, officers received information that a fraud was taking place at the Sam's Club on West New Haven Avenue. When they arrived, fraud investigators from Sam's Club and Discover Card reported seeing a suspect use multiple credit cards at the Sam's Club gas pump, a police report said.
The suspect's description was provided to police, which conducted a traffic stop. Perez Valdez was taken into custody, police said.
"This is very much an active investigation," Lt. Richard Cordeau said in the report. "Our detectives are in the process of contacting card holders, banks and credit card companies. So far, the card holders we have identified have been unaware their credit cards or debit cards were compromised," Cordeau said.
