Massachusetts man charged in Union County phishing, credit-card fraud case
A Limestone Township cardholder spotted fraud while still holding the card, but $17,863 had already been spent at King of Prussia Mall.
State police in Milton said a Limestone Township resident caught unauthorized and attempted purchases on Feb. 1 even though the physical credit card was still in hand. By then, investigators said, $17,863 had been run up at luxury stores inside King of Prussia Mall, including Louis Vuitton, Moncler and Dior.
Investigators tied the case to Chang Min Liu, 29, of Southworth Street in Brockton, Massachusetts, and said the alleged scheme used phishing texts to steal card information. Police said the messages mimicked toll or package-payment notices, a type of smishing scam that has repeatedly shown up in Pennsylvania consumer-protection warnings. In this case, the stolen card data was then used through Apple Pay, which can let a payment go through without the physical card ever leaving the victim’s wallet.
Surveillance video helped push the case forward. Police said it showed a dark gray Ford Edge with Missouri registration, and rental-car records were used to confirm Liu’s identity. Trooper Kyle Drick filed the charges in District Judge Jeffrey Mensch’s Mifflinburg office after investigators connected Liu to the Union County case and to similar investigations in Lykens, Towamencin Township and Knightdale, North Carolina.
Liu was charged with 11 felonies and one misdemeanor. The list includes four counts of unauthorized use of an access device, four counts of criminal use of a communication facility, and one count each of forgery, unlawful use of a computer, digital forgery and possession of an instrument of crime. Pennsylvania law treats each unlawful use of an access device as a separate offense, which helps explain why one alleged spending spree can produce multiple counts. Liu was arraigned and committed to Union County Jail in lieu of $250,000 cash, with preliminary hearings scheduled in Union County and Dauphin County.
The case is a reminder of how quickly a text-message scam can turn into retail fraud that crosses county and state lines. Unsolicited texts about tolls, packages or missed payments should be treated as warning signs, especially when they demand immediate action or ask for card details. Anyone who sees suspicious charges should contact the card issuer at once, freeze the account, review any digital-wallet connections tied to the card and report the fraud immediately. For Union County residents and small businesses, the damage can start with one click and end with a card number being spent far from home.
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