19-year-old accused of $11K fraud, using ‘Tap to Pay’ technology in Cranberry Township
A 19-year-old man was accused of making fraudulent transactions totaling thousands of dollars by using someone else’s debit card information, according to charges filed by Cranberry Township police.
Justin White, of Miami Gardens, Fla., was charged last week with four felonies, including access device fraud and theft, after police said he used Tap to Pay technology to make unauthorized transactions totaling more than $11,000.
Police said a Cranberry Township resident reported on Dec. 27, 2023, her Dollar Bank debit card was used for several transactions she did not make, and that the card was still in her possession.
Documents showed White saved the debit card information in his phone and used Tap to Pay technology to make transactions totaling $11,673, some of them from stores in the area.
Police said White made a transaction Jan. 25 at a store in Cranberry Township using the Tap to Pay option, and employees were able to identify him.
Police said they tracked White to Ross Park Mall, where he continued making unauthorized purchases. White was apprehended there and placed in Butler County Prison in lieu of $100,000.
His preliminary hearing before District Judge Kevin Flaherty is scheduled Feb. 2.
This story was updated at 8:20 a.m., Feb. 2, 2024, to reflect where White is from. A previous version of this story said he was from Cranberry Township.