Crime & Safety

Secret Service, Braintree Police Catch Man Allegedly Behind Credit Card Fraud

The Secret Service teamed up on an investigation begun by the Braintree police last fall of fraudulent uses of people's credit card information in Braintree.

Charges against a convicted felon who allegedly made purchases throughout Braintree with stolen credit card information were unsealed by a grand jury last week at U.S. District Court in Boston.

Yek Doug Wong, of Francis Avenue in Quincy, has been charged with aggravated identity theft, possession of device-making equipment, using counterfeit access devices and being a felon in possesson of a firearm and ammunication following a months-long investigation begun by the Braintree police last fall and joined by the U.S. Secret Service.

The investigation began after several card owners reported unauthorized transactions at convenience stores, according to an affidavit by a special agent with the Secret Service. Wong often purchased hundreds of dollars in cigarettes on the doctored cards, including a transaction on Oct. 13, 2011 in which he allegedly bought $435.10 worth of cigarettes from Mobil on the Run on Granite Street.

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Police tracked Wong down through video surveillance and witnesses, matching the license plate of the car he used to a name and address. When his apartment in Quincy was searched in February by Secret Service and Braintree and Quincy police, officers found nearly 1,200 embossed and blank Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards, various counterfeiting equipment, 42 cartons of cigarettes and $16,900 in cash.

The search also turned up a .25 caliber Colt handgun, according to the affidavit, and American Eagle ammunition. Wong was hit with an additional charge based on the discovery of the gun because of his record. In 2004, he was sentenced to 84 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy with intent to distribute MDMA and methamphetamine.

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Special Agent Mark Landolfi, who submitted the affidavit for the Secret Service, had been assigned to the Boston-based New England Electronic Crimes Task Force. The group "investigates electronic crimes, including computer generated counterfeit currency, counterfeit checks, identity theft, bank fraud, credit card fraud, access device fraud, telecommunications fraud, corporate espionage, computer system intrusion and Internet-related child pornography and exploitation," according to its website.


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