Detectives with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office ALERT Squad (Area Law Enforcement Retailers Team) say hundreds of customers who charged meals at a popular Memphis restaurant may be victims in a huge identity theft scam.

Marlon Cox Roderick Webb Brad Taylor

Sheriff’s detectives began their investigation earlier this month after WREG-TV News Anchor Richard Ransom’s credit card number had been illegally used to buy exercise equipment off the internet.

“Our ALERT Squad, which specializes in retail theft, fraud and counterfeiting, quickly linked the purchases to an employee at Paulette’s restaurant in midtown. After being contacted by our Deputies, owners and employees at Paulette’s worked with our investigators on the case,” said Shelby County Sheriff Mark H. Luttrell, Jr.

ALERT Squad investigators say a cook at Paulette’s, Brad Taylor, 32, of Memphis, was behind the scam. Deputies say Taylor made copies of restaurant credit card records which had been posted on log sheets. Twenty (20) numbers were listed on each sheet which Taylor then sold for $10 a page.

Deputies say Roderick Webb, 29, bought the log sheets from Taylor then worked with another man, Marlon Cox, 34, to purchase merchandise from internet sites. The two then sold the items to various people in the community.

ALERT Squad detectives say the conspiracy has been going on since January of this year. Customers who have used credit cards to purchase meals at Paulette’s restaurant should carefully review their credit card purchases and check their total credit history to see if bogus accounts have been opened in their names.

If necessary, Deputies say Paulette’s credit card customers might need to cancel their cards and open new accounts.

Deputies have recovered some of the items that had been illegally ordered on the internet and the investigation is continuing.

ALERT Squad investigators say people who have knowingly bought the illegal items may also face charges.

Victims of the scam and those who might have additional information about the credit card thefts at Paulette’s are asked to call the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office ALERT Squad at (901) 545-5600.

Brad Taylor, Roderick Webb and Marlon Cox have all been charged with Identity Theft Trafficking and Conspiracy to Commit Identify Theft Trafficking.

Webb and Taylor also face one count of Identify Theft.