For Immediate Release
May 22, 2020
SEBRING, Fla. – After an investigation by the Sebring Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, agents arrested Philip Conze, 24, of 855 NE 205th Terrace, Miami, on charges of criminal use of personal identification information, trafficking in counterfeit credit cards, defrauding a financial institution, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, fraudulent use of a credit card and unlawful possession of personal identification information.
Sebring Police detectives began the investigation after complaints from local bank customers and contacted FDLE for assistance after identifying Conze as the suspect.
Agents believe Conze, using personal information he found online about the victims, called each one, identifying himself as bank security officer. Spoofing the number of a bank, he told his victims their debit cards had been compromised and promised to overnight them new debit cards. He told each victim that he needed their PIN for the new card. Once he had the PINs, Conze was able to access the victims’ bank accounts through an ATM and empty the accounts.
Executing a search warrant at the suspect’s home in Miami, investigators seized a computer, credit card encoder and $27,000 cash. Conze was arrested yesterday without incident and booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will prosecute the case.
For Further Information Contact:
Gretl Plessinger, Jessica Cary, Jeremy Burns
FDLE Office of Public Information
(850) 410-7001