CNM Bookstore tied to stolen credit card scheme

FROM KRQE.COM  -

People, who have made a purchase at the CNM bookstore recently, might want to check bank statements for anything suspicious.




Police said one of two women involved in a stolen credit card scheme is an employee at the college bookstore.



According to the criminal complaint, the store worker, Febe Estrada, 45, was caught on surveillance cameras over riding the credit card system and manually entering the stolen card numbers.



Also in the complaint, it states that Estrada was brought into the scheme by a distant relative, Donna Marie Lucero, 47.



A director at the bookstore told investigators that on at least 13 occasions, Estrada had helped embezzle more than $6,000 worth of merchandise by putting in the fraudulent numbers given to her Lucero and another man.



Estrada told police the cards she would get from Lucero did not appear to be valid because the numbers were not raised and the only way the purchase would go through would be to override the system.



Lucero made her appearance in court Sunday to answer to the charges.



Febe Estrada bonded out of jail and is charged with embezzlement and conspiracy.



Police have been able to identify most of the victims, but are still trying to track down more.



The CNM bookstore is operated by a separate corporation that manages hundreds of school bookstores nationwide.