Bluetooth scammers strike Sonoma

Two Bay Area scammers took a trip to the wine country on Saturday, Jan. 17, adding another retailer to a long list of businesses hit up by the duo.
Their game is as follows: one woman goes into the store, picks out a number of expensive items, then attempts to pay with a Wells Fargo Visa card. When the person behind the counter says that the card has been rejected, she protests, saying that can’t possibly be right. The employee calls the bank and verifies that, indeed, the card isn’t any good. Meanwhile, her partner is listening to the whole conversation through the Bluetooth earpiece worn by the customer. A second later, she calls the shop saying she is from Wells Fargo, that she was wrong before and that the card is actually fine. The employee rings up the sale, only to have Wells Fargo later reject it, long after the culprits are gone.
On Jan. 17, a female with dirty blond hair wearing a white beanie and reading glasses, with a Bluetooth earpiece, picked out some clothing at a shop on the 400 block of First Street East. She was also wearing a long, dark trench coat and gloves, strange attire for a balmy day, but she did have an identification card. After getting the “callback” from the bank, the employee rang her up for some $4,000.
The same suspects went to several stores in Napa. Their downfall was an attempt to purchase an expensive Rolex at face value. The employee behind the counter said it was suspicious that the woman didn’t try to bargain down the price like everyone else that comes in looking to buy. He said the identification didn’t look like her and the woman took off. He followed her and got the plates on the car. Law enforcement officers picked up Carmina Santos, 28, and Myra Minks, 30, from San Francisco and Alameda respectively, in Calistoga.
Investigators said the pair stole a woman’s credit card and identification months ago. They estimate that the pair has since netted some $100,000 through the scheme. They posted bail in Napa County and are at large.