Woman accused of stealing debit cards

A 35-year-old Windsor woman is facing numerous charges in relation to the alleged use of bank and credit cards stolen from a vehicle, including a card with its “tap” payment function enabled.

Carrie Schmidt has been charged with two counts of theft, four counts of possession/use of a credit card obtained by crime, two counts of unauthorized use of credit card data and four counts of fraud.

Police said Schmidt was located and arrested by members of the Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) squad on Wednesday, but the alleged offences date back to the beginning of the spring.

On April 24, police began investigating the complaint of an east Windsor resident whose vehicle had been stolen out of her driveway.

The victim had left her vehicle unlocked overnight, and also forgot her purse inside the vehicle.

The purse contained the victim’s “tap” debit card.

The theft was discovered early in the morning.

The victim called the financial institution associated with the card, hoping to cancel it, but she was told it had already been fraudulently used at a number of locations.

About a month later, on May 18, Windsor police began an investigation into a separate incident involving a vehicle stolen out of a driveway in the east end.

Once again, the victim had left valuables inside the car — his wallet and credit card — and left the vehicle unlocked overnight.

When the complainant tried to cancel the card, he learned it had already been used at a number of convenience stores.

Further investigation in both cases led to detectives identifying a suspect.

Carrie Schmidt was located in the 5400 block of Reginald Street.

Windsor police remind the public to always remove valuables from their vehicles and ensure their vehicles are locked when unattended.

Keys or key fobs should never be left in unattended vehicles.

Anyone with more information about this individual or these incidents is encouraged to contact the financial crimes unit at 519-2556700 ext. 4350.

Anonymous tips can be made via Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 or catchcrooks.com.