A woman who worked for a New Haven car dealership faces charges of fraud after allegedly stealing a customer's credit card number and using it to buy a pair of season tickets for the Fort Wayne TinCaps.
Erin E. Clowser, 29, who at the time was working for O'Daniel Ford, allegedly made at least eight purchases with a customer's credit card number between March 15 and 28, according to papers filed by Allen County prosecutors.
The biggest transaction was $288 for 2012 TinCaps season tickets for herself and her boyfriend, who also worked for the dealership, according to the court documents. Clowser also bought her boyfriend a sweat shirt and poster from Michigan-based Bell's Brewery for his birthday, the papers alleged.
An O'Daniel Ford manager told police a woman used her credit card to pay for car repairs at the dealership in February and later reported fraudulent purchases had been made with her card after receiving TinCaps tickets in the mail, the documents said.
The woman said she called the TinCaps ticket office and learned the purchase was made for Clowser's boyfriend, according to the documents.
Clowser's manager told police he went to her desk and found a hand-written note with the customer's name and credit card information, including the card's expiration date and three-digit security code, the papers said.
The manager told police Clowser had been hired through Blue Jacket, a nonprofit that helps convicted offenders find jobs after release, the documents said. Clowser's record includes nearly a dozen convictions on fraud, forgery and theft charges, according to an online database.
Clowser faces felony charges of fraud and corrupt business influence. She was being held on $12,500 bond.
