Carnival Cruisers ARRESTED & BANNED FOR LIFE!
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#cruisenow #cruiseship #cruisenews #cruise
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Carnival Cruisers ARRESTED & BANNED FOR LIFE!
It sounds incredibly convenient—but because of their value, cruise gift cards have also become prime targets for scammers. Fraudsters are growing increasingly sophisticated, with some even managing to trick cruise lines and retailers themselves. In a recent cruise gift card scam, two passengers aboard a Carnival ship were arrested for paying for their vacation using gift cards obtained through fraudulent means.
Mr. Fernandes and Ms. La Paz were arrested at PortMiami, accused of defrauding Winn-Dixie grocery stores in South Florida. A third suspect, Beatriz Paz-Roca, was also taken into custody hours later outside a Winn-Dixie in Doral, Florida.
Carnival Cruisers ARRESTED & BANNED FOR LIFE!
Investigators said the trio had been buying gift cards from various retailers using altered Bolivian bank cards. This caused issues with the supermarket chain’s payment system, ultimately leaving Winn-Dixie to absorb the loss. Deputies reported roughly 230 fraudulent transactions tied to at least one of the three suspects.
Authorities discovered via social media posts on Thursday that da Cunha Fernandes and Parada la Paz had boarded the Carnival Sunrise for a cruise. Police said the pair booked the voyage on July 26 using fraudulent gift cards they had purchased the day before at Winn-Dixie.
Carnival Cruisers ARRESTED & BANNED FOR LIFE!
When the Sunrise returned to PortMiami on Monday morning, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducted a border search and found bank cards on da Cunha Fernandes, along with “numerous other fraudulent gift cards” in possession of both suspects.
Meanwhile, investigators tracked Paz-Roca from the trio’s residence on Northwest 26th Street. They followed her to a Winn-Dixie at 10505 NW 41st St. in Doral, where she fraudulently purchased a \$150 Amazon gift card. Detectives intercepted her as she returned to her car and arrested her on the spot.