ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Deputies in Clay County are searching for a man who they say pretended to be an electronics technician and stole thousands of dollars from a local business.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office didn't provide exact details on where the crime happened, but said it took place Sunday at an Orange Park business.
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Deputies said the man walked into a retail business and pretended to work on a debit-credit card scanning machine. While he pretended to work, he accessed the register and loaded more than $2,000 onto five gift cards and left without paying, deputies said.
The detective working on the case said deputies found out the man pulled a similar scheme in Dothan, Alabama, on June 21.
“Another store reported a similar incident,” Sgt. Thomas Cotchaleovitch said. “The suspect from that case looked very similar to our suspect in our case and the very exact M.O.”
He is described as a black man, about 5 feet, 9 inches to 6 feet tall and weighing 210 to 220 pounds with a beard.
During both crimes, the man wore business casual attire with an unknown nametag and carried a scanning device on his right hip, deputies said. He was driving a newer model, dark colored Nissan Altima or Maxima.
Investigators suspect it's possible the man knew the business needed its card reader repaired. They said if the repair order had not gone through, the man might not have succeeded in the crime.
Anyone with information about the man is asked to contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 904-264-6512.