For anyone who’s had their credit card number or other elements of their identity stolen, the footage above should provide a satisfying jolt of catharsis. It sure as hell did for me.
Dallas Fox 4 reporter Steve Noviello received a fraud alert on his credit card earlier this month and discovered it had been used at a Hilton Garden Inn in nearby Richardson, Texas. Noviello says he called the Hilton, explained the situation, and inquired as to whether anyone had used his credit card number to pay for a room. It turned out that a woman named Farrah Parks had, reportedly via a card with her name on it whose magnetic stripe didn’t work, thus the number had to be entered manually.
Noviello notified police of Parks’s room number and headed there himself. As she was being led out by police, Noviello bombarded Parks with questions and recorded her answers on his iPhone. That footage is above.
“I am Farrah, but I did not use your credit card,” said Parks when confronted. “I used a card with my name on it.” She may be a thief, but at least she’s not a full-time liar.
When pressed, Parks told Noviello, “I’m not gonna speak to you,” and, “I actually got it from somebody...” As she was being led through the Garden Inn’s lobby, she said, “I just made bad choices. I’m aware of that and I apologize.”
“You picked the wrong guy!” Noviello said to her during the confrontation. His particular beat is consumer reports, and he uses his work to help people avoid being cheated. One of his recurring segments is called “Save Me Steve.” Here’s an example of Steve saving himself.
Parks remains in jail, according to Noviello’s full Fox 4 report, which you can watch below: