Man charged with posing as ride-sharing driver to steal debit cards

CHICAGO -- A 49-year-old man has been charged with posing as a ride-sharing driver and stealing passengers' debit cards to withdraw money from their bank accounts.

Gabriel Jackson, of the Lincoln Park neighborhood, was arrested about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday in the first block of West 47th Street following a "long-term" investigation, according to Chicago Police. He faces 12 felony charges of continuing financial crime enterprises.

Jackson entered a bar posing as a ride-sharing driver and lured people into his vehicle, drove them to their destination and asked for their debit card for payment, police said.

Jackson swiped the cards through a third-party payment-processing app on his phone and asked the passengers to enter their pin numbers, police said. He then returned a similar debit card to the victims and kept their original debit cards, which he used to withdraw money from an ATM.

The amount stolen was not released.

The crimes happened in the Central, Near North, Shakespeare and Ogden districts, police said.

Jackson's bond was set at $50,000 during a court appearance Thursday. His next court date was scheduled for Sept. 20.