The National Police (PN) announced that it has arrested three individuals and charged them with bank fraud, counterfeiting and larceny. Jose Polanco Mercedes, Freddy Peyrera Ramirez and Wanda Cabrera were arrested at the farm of Polanco Mercedes in Bayaguana. On the farm, the PN found 116 false credit cards, a magnetic tape reader, an embossing machine, a computerized card extrusion apparatus, and other sophisticated card falsification equipment. PN also seized 54,000 Dominican pesos, currency of four other countries, cell phones, beepers, and a Nissan Sentra automobile. The trio has been operating for the past several months, principally in and around tourist resorts in the Eastern part of the country. They were able to create bogus credit cards by "reading the cards, magnetic tape and imprinting actual card numbers. The phony cards have been used to defraud hotels, restaurants, shops, and banks. A PN spokesman said that one recent transaction defrauded a local bank branch of DR$300,000.
