PORTLAND, Ore. – A Man who posed on Facebook with cash overflowing his pockets and his friend were charged with identity theft after the two pretended the friend’s debit card was stolen and they charged up tens of thousands of dollars on his Advantis CU account.
Police say Taylor Brittain-McAuliffe sold the use of his debit card to Anthony Miller and gave him his personal identification number, then Miller inflated Brittain-McAuliffe's account with counterfeit checks and withdrew more than $32,000 cash.
The two men planned to split the windfall, police said. Meanwhile, Brittain-McAuliffe claimed he was a victim of fraud, and expected to get reimbursed by the credit union, a fraud known as “double-dipping.”
Miller, 24, was caught on video surveillance images at Advantis branches, making transactions with McAuliffe's debit card. He also was caught on surveillance images at retail stores – Fred Meyer, Safeway, and RiteAid -- making small purchases and obtaining up to $100 in cash back with each transaction, using McAuliffe's debit card.
Miller is also accused of printing counterfeit payroll checks and having others cash them for him at Fred Meyer stores in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Clark counties. He's tied to the cashing of over 100 counterfeit payroll checks, for a loss totaling over $32,000 within a two-month period, Glass said.
Brittain-McAuliffe initially denied knowing Miller. But investigators pored over both suspects' Facebook pages and found they had mutual friends. Investigators were incensed by photos Miller posted on Facebook with cash stuffed down his pants and mugging for photos with expensive sneakers.
