Costco Credit Card Scam: Two Arrested After Alleged Fraudulent Shopping Spree

On Sunday, authorities apprehended two individuals suspected of shoplifting at a Costco, where they allegedly tried to purchase goods using fake credit cards.

The incident, which unfolded around 3 p.m., took place in South Windsor, Connecticut, according to a statement from the South Windsor Police Department (SWPD) issued on Monday.

The duo, identified by police as 35-year-old Brittany A. Howard from the Bronx, New York, and 34-year-old Kasheem M. Williams from Brooklyn, are suspected to be serial shoplifters targeting Costco locations.

The SWPD reported, “Officers were dispatched to Costco at 1220 Tamarack Ave following reports of two individuals actively engaging in theft and attempting to complete transactions at the self-checkout using fraudulent credit cards.”

According to authorities, store staff had been warned that the same suspects had allegedly attempted a similar scheme at a Costco location in Enfield, roughly a 30-minute drive north. 

Responding officers later discovered 28 stolen financial documents, all under different names, inside the suspects’ vehicle, along with goods believed to have been stolen from the other Costco location, police said.

After the suspects were taken into custody, authorities said both individuals were found to have active out-of-state warrants.

Williams had an extraditable warrant out of Suffolk County, New York, on multiple charges including burglary, strangulation and assault. 

Howard was found to have an extraditable warrant out of Hudson County, New Jersey, on credit card theft charges.

Both suspects now face additional charges, including 28 counts of payment card theft, larceny, identity theft and conspiracy.

Police said the pair were held on $250,000 surety bonds and were scheduled to appear in Manchester Superior Court Monday morning.