This crook had no idea who she was dealing with.
A woman accused of stealing a Dallas TV consumer reporter’s credit card number had to account for her actions when the journalist tracked her down and confronted her on video this week.
“You picked the wrong guy!” Fox 4 reporter Steve Noviello told Farah Parks as police marched the 40-year-old woman off in handcuffs on July 19, according to video and jail records.
Noviello, whose job is to give advice to consumers, said he learned through a Visa fraud alert that the woman was staying in the Hilton Garden Inn in Richardson, about 20 miles from his Dallas office.
The reporter, who grew up in Jericho, Long Island, said he called the hotel and learned Parks had checked in using his card number — but she had used a card with her own name on it.
Noviello found out her room number, alerted police and “camped out” in the hallway, waiting for police to bring her out, he told the Daily News Tuesday.
“Good morning. Did you use my credit card number to check into your room?” Noviello calmly asked Parks at the hotel’s elevator bank. “Are you Farah?”
“I am Farah, but I did not use your credit card. I used a card with my name on it,” she said.
Although Parks initially declined to speak to Noviello, she admitted she got the card information “from someone else.”
“I didn’t pick you, that’s the thing,” she said.
The Emmy-award winning reporter pressed her for more information, saying he wanted to let consumers better know how to protect themselves.
“I’ve just made some bad choices in my life. I’m aware of that and I apologize,” Parks said.
As Parks was taken to the police cruiser, Noviello said he would arrange a jailhouse interview, which Parks agreed to at the time but later declined.
“I appreciate it, you have yourself a good day,” Noviello said cheerfully.
Parks remains in Collin County jail on charges of credit card or debit card abuse, records show.
Noviello said Parks used her name on the card to avoid needing Noviello’s information. She allegedly entered his credit card number in manually, knowing her faulty card would fail to swipe.
Parks racked up just under $700 in charges from her three-day hotel stay, Noviello said. His card was also fraudulently charged for a rental car and Walmart purchases, but he doesn’t know if they’re connected to Parks or the larger operation she is likely working for, he told the Daily News.
Putting Parks behind bars means she can’t defraud another consumer, and she may lead police to the people who are producing false credit cards, Noviello said.
He chose to confront the woman for all those who have “ever fallen victim to fraud,” he said.
“It seems it happens everywhere,” Noviello told the Daily News of identity theft. “You never get to meet or look into the eyes of the person who’s doing it. To have that opportunity to deliver that to viewers is what really made that so strong.”
Still, he maintained the high road, noting he wasn’t targeted specifically.
“I’m sure she has a tough road ahead of her and doesn’t need me to belittle her on top of that,” he said.
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