AMY SZPARA

LAPLACE – After the loss of a loved one the last thing a grieving family member wants to do is think about bills, especially if the debt wasn’t even acquired by the deceased relative. Unfortunately, some mourners have been taken advantage of by a scheming crook who used their dead kin’s charge card to run up sky-high bills. According to Capt. Mike Tregre of the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, Herman Moore of New Orleans has created opportunity for himself out of the loss of other people by using credit card accounts of deceased Sears customers. After charging items at the LaPlace Sears on Carrollwood Drive on two separate occasions, the underhanded shopper moved on to a Sears in Jefferson Parish, where he was caught by authorities. Tregre said Moore would read the obituaries, and if someone died on Friday he would target that person’s account Monday. He would call Sears pretending to be the deceased and say he wanted to add a name to his account, then he would go into a Sears store and charge items. He was committing the crime all over the metro area, said Tregre. “The family members had been getting the bills,” he added. Tregre said the detective on the case, Sgt. Jason Weber, began an investigation because a personal friend was a victim of the scam. A family member of the friend had passed away, and bills from Sears kept coming in. Weber notified Sears of what was going on. When Moore showed up at a Sears in Jefferson Parish, Sears employees notified the police. According to authorities, Moore had been purchasing electronic equipment such as DVD players and other expensive items. He charged around $25,000 in all. It is unknown at this time how Moore was able to get the personal information of the deceased. An investigation into that matter is ongoing. Moore is currently being held in Jefferson Parish as a fugitive for St. John Parish. He has been charged with theft by fraud. Authorities said he has not revealed if there were others involved in the fraud. “The only advice I can give is that when a loved one dies, cancel all their credit cards right away,” said Tregre. “I’ve seen identity theft of the living before, but this is the first time I’ve seen identity theft of the dead.” Investigators are now trying to determine if there were other people working with Moore. There is also a possibility that more credit card charges will turn up.