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Electronics gear thief uses phony credit cards Five Medford businesses were bilked in a credit card scam Tuesday, and police are asking the public's help in locating a suspect. The north and south Fred Meyer stores, Office Max on Center Drive, Office Depot on Crater Lake Highway and Staples on East Stewart Avenue all were hit between about 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday. Fake credit cards were used to buy about $6,400 worth of computer equipment and video cameras from the stores. Police say that Howard Fu Wong, 33, is a suspect in the case, and that he fled the Fred Meyer store at 2424 Crater Lake Highway at around 12:34 p.m. Tuesday before police arrived. Police believe that Wong also had been at the other stores buying items with counterfeit credit cards. Police recovered the Mastercard and canceled the Visa. Medford police Lt. Tim George said it's a common scheme. "This is a pretty common practice to come out of a major metropolitan area with counterfeit credit cards and target high-ticket items," George said. "We've seen basically the same thing with expensive golf equipment, laptop computers and high-end cameras." George said the thieves target high-end merchandise that's easy to sell in underground markets and won't lose too much value in those markets. The thieves move up and down the I-5 corridor hitting major retail outlets, he said. Wong is Asian, stands 5-feet-7, weighs 130 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. He's also been identified by Medford police in a previous forgery investigation. Anyone with information about Wong in this investigation is asked to call Detective Sue Campbell at 774-2235 during business hours or 774-2250 after hours. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA