NC Woman Arrested for $11,700 Fraud Scheme Involving Stolen Lowe’s Credit Card Information

LAKE COUNTY, Florida – A North Carolina woman was arrested and charged on October 1 for her involvement in a fraud scheme that defrauded Lowe’s customers of over $11,700 last year. Erica Latrice Daniels, 36, was taken into custody by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office on September 11, and an extradition order was issued on September 17.

According to an affidavit from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Daniels participated in a scheme to steal credit card account information from Lowe’s customers, leading to a total loss of $11,755.45 in Lake and Orange Counties, Florida.

Investigation Background

The investigation began in April 2023 when Synchrony Bank (SYB), which issues private-label credit cards for retailers like Lowe’s, noticed a significant loss involving Lowe’s accounts. SYB’s Special Investigation Team uncovered a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme where individuals purchased Lowe’s customer account information from the dark web. This included personally identifiable information (PII), phone numbers, usernames, and passwords.

The fraudsters accessed victims’ accounts via the Lowe’s app and obtained barcodes linked to their accounts. They then used these barcodes to purchase gift cards and other small items in Lowe’s stores.

During the investigation, authorities identified fraudulent transactions linked to a barcode from a Lowe’s account at a store in Gainesville, Florida. It was discovered that a phone number used to access this account did not belong to the legitimate cardholder. A check of this number revealed that it had been used to access 29 Lowe’s accounts fraudulently, all showing fraudulent activity throughout Florida.

Fraudulent Transactions

Lowe’s Loss Prevention provided surveillance footage of the fraudulent transactions. On April 16, 2023, Daniels and a male accomplice were seen at a Lowe’s store at 18795 U.S. Hwy. 441 in Mount Dora at 2:32 p.m. Daniels attempted to purchase gift cards but was denied without a photo ID. She scanned a barcode linked to a victim’s account on her smartphone, completing a fraudulent transaction totaling $20.51.

Later that day, they visited another Lowe’s store at 9540 U.S. Hwy. 441 in Leesburg, where Daniels successfully purchased two $500 gift cards for $1,011.90 using the same fraudulent barcode. They returned to the first store an hour later, where Daniels scanned five more $500 gift cards, resulting in a $2,564.27 transaction.

The pair continued their scheme at multiple Lowe’s locations, including a store in Apopka, where Daniels made another fraudulent purchase of $2,043.29. On April 17, they were seen at a Lowe’s in Orlando, completing several transactions, including purchasing multiple $500 gift cards using stolen account information.

Identification and Arrest

Daniels was eventually identified through surveillance footage, jail arrest records, North Carolina driver’s license records, and social media posts. A previous encounter with law enforcement provided further evidence, including visible tattoos that matched her identification.

A systematic pattern of behavior characterized the fraudulent activities. Daniels used the same stolen credit card information to obtain valuable items over two days.

Daniels surrendered to the Lake County Jail on Tuesday afternoon, facing charges of organized fraud, fraudulent credit card use, and grand theft (less than $20,000). She was released after posting a $7,500 bond.

Photo: Busted In Wake County