Florida man arrested for buying thousands of dollars of diesel with fraudulent gift cards

Photo by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office | Press Release

A Florida man has been arrested by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) deputies for purchasing thousands of dollars of fuel using more than a dozen fraudulent gift cards, a release states.
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According to the August 17 press release from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Public Affairs Office, HCSO deputies were called out to the Travelers America Truck Stop located at 11706 Tampa Gateway Boulevard in Seffner for possible fraud in progress at 8:07 pm on August 15.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they came in contact with Rainer Cabrera, 36, as he pumped fuel into a large white semi-truck. After determining probable cause, deputies were able to locate 16 suspected fraudulent gift cards concealed beneath the floorboards of the semi. They also noticed the truck's fuel tanks had "quick drain" valves.

Following further investigation, deputies determined that Cabrera had traveled to the car stop four times over 24 hours, each time using fraudulent gift cards to receive several hundreds of gallons of diesel — a value of approximately $6,000.

"These con men who use deceptive means to steal fuel, hoping to earn a quick buck at the expense of others, will soon find out that we'll put the brakes on their criminal activity," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "I commend the citizens who saw something wasn't right and said something to our 911 Communications Center."

Rainer Alfonso Cabrera is facing charges of Counterfeiting Payment Instrument, Organized Fraud of less than $20,000, 2 counts of Grand Theft Third Degree, Fraudulent Use of Credit Card More than Twice, Possession of Counterfeit Credit Cards, and Possession of Stolen Credit Card.

As of publication, the case is still under active investigation. If further updates will come from the Public Affairs Office, Uncovering Florida will update this article.
Article by Rachael Volpe