Four people charged with stealing thousands of dollars in tap-to-pay scam in Evanston, police say
Evanston police charged four people they said stole thousands of dollars in a tap-to-pay scam that lasted weeks.
Jerome Kirk, 20, of Springfield, Amari Jackson, 23, and Nasir Johnson, 23, both from Chicago, were charged with one felony count of aggravated identity theft of a person over 60 years of age. Quinshon Rendles, 26, also from Chicago, was charged with one misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing a police officer and one felony count of criminal damage to government property.
Police said they've received numerous reports of people soliciting donations in public spaces for fake causes, including funerals.
In each case, the victims were asked to provide a credit card or cellphone to complete a tap-to-pay transaction. Once offenders gained possession of the card or phone, they accessed financial accounts and issued fake receipts. The victims would later discover their losses upon receiving fraud alerts.
Police said eight of the scams were documented across Evanston between Dec. 1 and 17, with losses of more than $35,000.
The four suspects were later spotted on Friday, Dec. 19, engaging with a potential victim in the 600 block of Chicago Avenue. After detectives approached, three of the suspects [Kirk, Jackson, and Johnson] attempted to run away but were placed into custody, police said.
The fourth suspect [Rendles] attempted to flee in a vehicle and intentionally struck a detective squad car before being taken into custody.
More than $20,000, their vehicle, and multiple cell phones were recovered following their arrests.
Jackson, Johnson, and Rendles are due back in court on Tuesday. Kirk's next court date is on Dec. 29.
Investigation into the crime remains ongoing.
Anyone with information about the scams or believed to be a victim is asked to contact Evanston police at 847-866-5000 or submit a tip by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with EPDTIP.