Crime & Safety
Travel Agent Illegally Used Customers' Credit Cards, Police Say
Four Lower Macungie neighbors say the agent they used to book a cruise made unrelated charges against their accounts, troopers report.
Some Lower Macungie Township residents thought they were booking a trip, but recently told police they were taken for a ride.
Specifically, the four women thought they were booking a cruise through an Upper Macungie travel agent, but they made waves when they found out their credit cards were used by that consultant for unrelated charges, police said.
The residents, of the Village at Caramoor, on Oct. 10 hired Patti Shill, 50, of 270 Hopewell Drive to book an all-inclusive cruise, according to state police at Fogelsville. The four gave credit card information to the Shill to pay for some or all of their trip.
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Shill made several charges against those credit cards, some of which were without the clients' knowledge, police said. It was unstated in the report whether the cruise ever actually was was booked, took place or was to have taken place by now.
Police also did not say the amount of the fraudulent charges.
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Police, who released the report this week, said the victims came to the state police barracks to report the access device fraud.
The victims were listed as:
- Janet Tomasko, 69, of 6522 Letterkenny Lane;
- Sally Rocker, 72, of 6509 Charles Court;
- Eva Brey, 72, of 6633 Blue Heather Court; and
- Barbara Phillipe, 75, of 2837 Donegal Drive.
An independent search also shows that the listed location of the travel agent is owned by Patti J. and Mark W. Shill. That property, with $388,970 in costs listed against it, is scheduled Jan. 25 to be sold at a Lehigh County Sheriff's Sale, according to the Lehigh County website.