Originally published at: Woman forced to do her own detective work when an LAPD officer stole her debit card | Boing Boing
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I’ve never had a problem with a credit or debit card company or bank doubting me when I disputed charges, but I’m not surprised. I got nowhere with Google a few years ago when a bunch of Google play store charges for various Android apps showed up on my credit card. Google first refused to believe I didn’t make the purchases. I haven’t owned an Android device in a decade. Then they said I must have let a friend use my card, or left it laying around so a friend or family member could have used it. In other words, either I was lying or I was irresponsible. But the card company (I think it was Discover) removed the charges without pushing back at all.
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I’m guessing that the “officer” who handled the transaction at the Detention Center saw her enter her PIN and that’s why he kept the card. Wonder how many others he has nicked?
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"City Bank " I wonder if they are affiliated with “City Wok” from South Park.
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The officer likely didn’t need to directly observe the PIN pad being used, because there are oodles of cameras at that police station to catch miscreants, just didn’t expect to nab one of their own. Per the camera coverage, that would make for a great discovery request by both her and her bank (Citi Bank), even if for an in camera (by the judge only) review.
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It certainly doesn’t seem like a once-off sort of crime; but, on the other hand, I’d be curious about the viability of repeat offences.
The police stealing from the poor-and-presumed-criminal is certainly common, even legal if you do the asset forfeiture paperwork; but bringing a debit card into it means that now some combination of payment card industry fraud detection people and vendor customer-tracking types are involved; and both are likely to be statistically vigilant, have reasonably detailed records; and have their assertions treated comparatively respectfully.
It could be that my impression of their vigilance has only been shaped by their detection heuristics; and there’s basically zero risk that they do anything aside from burning the compromised card and calling it a day; but naively I’d suspect that bringing them in is really raising the stakes vs. stealing in cash or kind.
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what was her relationship with the accused for that matter… if any
Victim
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You don’t get to just use other people’s money without permission-even if you are/were in a relationship with them. This would be no more acceptable if was revenge for being dumped.
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