Big Y employee stops fraud ring

North Branford, Conn. (WTNH) -  Police in North Branford say they've broken up a major credit card fraud ring.

A credit card fraud ring has been hitting about two dozen Big Y stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts since the beginning of the year. It all ended in North Branford when the suspects were caught.

An employee of the Big Y there had received a description of the suspects and their MO.

Lt. David D'Ancicco said, "He saw something that didn't look right. It was suspicious and matched what he had been told to be on the lookout for."

The suspects used stolen credit card numbers to purchase Visa gift cards. These gift cards can be used just like cash, but are difficult to trace.

The employee noticed this same trend in his store, and alerted officers.

The tip lead to the arrests of Steve Bourne and Charles Whitfield, both New York residents.

North Branford police say the case doesn't end here. They may have cracked an international ring of credit card scammers.

Lt. D'Ancicco said, "We do know it stretches through several states, as well as overseas, so its the tip of quite a large operation from what we can see."