Man Pleads Guilty To Credit Card Fraud In CT

CLINTON, CT — A New York man who was part of a ring of counterfeit credit card users pleaded guilty to credit card fraud Thursday.

Xiao Bin Xu, 22, was a member of a group that engaged in counterfeit credit card transactions at stores along the east coast. The group got credit card information from skimming cardholders and used fake credit cards to purchase gift cards and luxury merchandise, according to the U.S. Attorney District of Connecticut office.

Items were then sold at a discount in order to be fenced or sold on the black market. Xu was one of the buyers in the group who also recruited other buyers.

The group engaged in fraud in Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The group used 120 fake credit cards to make about $179,000 in fraudulent purchases.

Police departments in the Clinton area receive complaints about unauthorized charges on credit and debit cards. Many of the victims had dined at the same Clinton restaurant during a two-week period.

Xu pleaded guilty to one count of access device fraud. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

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