Police: Suspect Dupes MoCo Store Out Of Bathtub

BETHESDA, Md. (WJZ) -- Montgomery County Police are asking for the public's help to identify a suspect they say stole a nearly $7,000 bathtub from a Bethesda hardware store using a bogus credit card number.

Police released a surveillance image Monday of the man they say told a store employee he wanted to buy a $13,000 tub, on sale for $6,700, and then duped the employee into processing a fraudulent credit card payment after the machine initially declined it.

It all happened about 1:30 p.m. April 26, according to police, when the suspect walked into Union Hardware on Wisconsin Avenue and tried to buy the marked down tub. When his card didn't work, the employee told investigators, the suspect said he was calling his bank and handed his phone over to the employee.

Someone on the other end of the call gave the employee instructions on how to ring up the tub and then the machine printed off a receipt as though the bank had approved the transaction, according to police.

The suspect left the store and loaded the tub into a U-Haul parked outside and then he and a second suspect drove away, the employee reported. It wasn't until later that the store got a call from its bank, notifying them that the credit card was bogus.

If you recognize the suspect pictured, police want your help. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County at 240-773-TIPS. You could receive a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest.