Houston heist: Man steals thousands in jewelry with stolen credit cards, authorities investigating
HOUSTON - It was all caught on camera when a man in plain clothes with no weapons or a mask, attempted to make a hefty purchase inside Reiners Fine Jewelry, but owners say a few red flags let them know something was off.
"He seemed pretty prepared for what would happen. He picks a watch and doesn't really try it on, instantly walks up to the counter to be checked out, pulls out 2 credit cards and his drivers' license. Typically, it's a little bit more interactive," said Bert Reiner Owner of Reiners Fine Jewelry. "You have to ask people for some of those things or have some sort of conversation around it, so it didn't seem like it was his first trying to make a purchase like this."
Unsuccessful there, the man walked next door to Valobra Master Jewelers, greeted sales associates, picked out a Rolex he wanted to purchase with that same American Express card.
"As always, the sales associate asked for a matching drivers' license. He gave her a driver’s license, the name matched American Express. We got authorization from American Express and it went through. As he was leaving, he said he wanted to purchase another Rolex. He pulled it out and said, "No, I’m going to pay with my Visa," and it was the same name that matched his AmEx, and his driver's license and the Visa went through."
Kristen Cannon, PR and Marketing Director for Valobra Master Jewelers, says her sales associate explained the transaction seemed normal.
"He was a little bit quick to buy, but she just figured he came in knowing what he wanted," Cannon said.
However, hours later, another man came to Valobra, disputed two charges made for nearly $20,000 - telling them his American Express and Visa were stolen from a YMCA on Augusta in the Tanglewood area out of his locker - while he was at the gym around 8 a.m.
"So apparently the con man thief had an ID made to match the two stolen cards, and came into Valobra to purchase within the next two to three hours, which is a little scary,"
Now the YMCA says in a statement, "The YMCA of Greater Houston has not received any reports of stolen property from that location; therefore, we are unable to confirm any details regarding the alleged theft at this time."
Authorities with the Harris County Constable's Office Precinct 1 confirmed they are investigating this incident.