Nampa Police are asking people in the Treasure Valley to come forward if they have recently seen suspicious credit card charges, saying the reports may be tied to a larger fraud network that spans multiple states.
Investigators say the activity appears to involve stolen card information being used in stores through mobile payment systems. In some cases, they believe criminals may be using a method called “ghost tapping” that lets stolen card data be used without ever having the physical card, making the transactions harder to trace.
“Ghost tapping uses stolen credit card details in Apple Pay or Google Pay, then remotely relays the tap signal over the internet to a ‘mule’ at a store, allowing them to make high-value purchases that appear completely legitimate.” – Nampa Police
Police say the suspected scheme began showing up locally in late January 2026 and has continued into recent weeks. Some people connected to the investigation have been arrested in Idaho, while others have been contacted but not charged at the time due to missing victim reports.
Investigators claim that forensic examination of the apprehended suspects’ cellphones revealed connections to other crimes, such as “human trafficking, drug trafficking, large-scale fraud, money laundering, CSAM, and wildlife trafficking.”…