Officials: Teen put $500 of pizza on stolen cards

, Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities in Tennessee say a 15-year-old boy posed as a police officer to steal people's credit card numbers, then racked up hundreds of dollars in charges for pizza and a house party.

The Commercial Appeal in Memphis reports (http://bit.ly/sCacYK ) that the ninth-grader was charged with three felonies, including unauthorized use of a credit card. He was arrested Thursday.

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office says the boy created a fake officer named Capt. Tyrone Banks and used smartphone applications to find information on potential victims. He then asked to verify their credit card numbers, playing a police scanner in the background during the phone conversations to give himself credibility.

Sheriff's officials say the boy charged $500 worth of pizza; an $800 house party; and $874 to pay a friend's utility bill.

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Information from: The Commercial Appeal, http://www.commercialappeal.com