Suspected fraudsters target El Paseo businesses

Palm Desert police caught two suspected thieves red-handed Sunday after a man’s bank alerted him to fraudulent activity on his credit card.

The male and female suspect were allegedly carrying multiple shopping bags from stores on El Paseo, along with suspected fraudulent credit cards, when they were contacted by police.

The victim told police his bank alerted him about several large credit card transactions taking place at businesses. When police inquired at the businesses, employees were able to provide a description of the shoppers, who were located by police in the area of Ocotillo and El Paseo.

Zhang Zhichong, 23, of San Gabriel, and Jiao Liu, 27, of Alhambra, were arrested and booked at the Riverside County Jail in Indio on charges of burglary, conspiracy and fraudulent use of credit cards. Both were being held on $5,000 bail.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy Little or the Palm Desert police at (760) 836-1600.