Baldwin woman charged in credit-card scam

A Baldwin woman was arrested Wednesday and charged with skimming credit card numbers in May at a Westbury restaurant where she worked as a waitress, then using those card numbers to make more than $3,100 in fraudulent purchases, Nassau County police said.

Police said they believe at least one other person was involved in the scheme, but that person has not been arrested. That arrest is imminent, police said.

Gabriella Melendez, 24, of 79 Stowe Ave., was charged with third-degree grand larceny, two counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument and two counts each of first-degree and second-degree identity theft, police said.

She is scheduled for arraignment Thursday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Police said Melendez was employed as a waitress at Houlihan's on Merrick Avenue in Westbury, where she, with the help of another suspect, skimmed the credit card numbers customers used to pay their checks. Police said she and the second person then made purchases in excess of $3,100 at Nassau County stores.

Police did not say what kinds of items were purchased using the stolen card numbers or identify the stores where those purchases were made.