Woman racks up big bill with stolen credit card

WAIPOULI — A Kapa’a woman was arrested Wednesday, May 7, at Safeway for purchasing more than $1,300 worth of gift cards with a stolen credit card.

Kimberly Naholoholo, 34, was arrested at 9:46 a.m. on charges of fraudulent use of a credit card and second-degree theft, for items worth more than $300 but less than $20,000.

According to a store spokesperson who asked to remain anonymous, Naholoholo obtained gift cards for various stores, including Payless Shoes, Sunglass Hut, Blockbuster and Safeway, in addition to other “high-ticket” items like makeup and clothing. The purchases were made at about 4 a.m.

Later, someone called anonymously to find out when the morning crew would start their shift. At about 8 a.m., Naholoholo was seen back in the store, trying to purchase bagels. By that time, a bookkeeper had noted the suspicious purchases and discovered the credit card was stolen. While the on-duty manager called police, the cashier stalled Naholoholo at the register.

It was found that the credit card used belonged to a visitor from San Diego who bought groceries at Safeway Tuesday with a personal check. At about 7 a.m. Wednesday, after finding out her room at the Plantation Hale was burglarized while they slept, the woman called police and put a hold on her checks and credit card-the same one that Naholoholo used at Safeway that morning.

After Naholoholo’s arrest, the woman returned to the store to pay her bill in cash in case the check was blocked or returned. It was not known how Naholoholo came into possession of the credit card. According to the theft victim, none of the other items stolen in the burglary have yet been recovered.

Safeway cashiers are not required to check customers’ identification on credit card or debit purchases, but the time of day and nature of the purchase “flagged something” for the bookkeeper, the store spokesperson said. Safeway could institute a “cash-only” store policy for gift cards to prevent this from happening again.