East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers provides a way for the public to submit information about cases.
The organization is asking anyone who recognizes him to come forward, while reminding the public not to post names or identifying details in public comments on the post itself.
How the Tip Process Works
The organization’s standard reward limit is up to $2,000; reward eligibility is limited to tips submitted directly through Crime Stoppers channels. Tipsters can call **TIPS or 877-363-8847, text ETTips to 738477 for a secure link, use the P3 Tips app, or submit information online at easttnvalleycrimestoppers.org. The organization says all of those channels guarantee anonymity, with no caller ID, recorded lines, or IP tracking attached to any submission, and those who text in can expect that message frequency varies, with data and message rates possibly applying, and can text HELP for help or STOP to cancel.
As with every case the organization publicizes, East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers states that the man featured in the appeal is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Specific transaction amounts and merchant locations tied to case #26-03-5689 have not yet been released publicly by investigators.
Who Handles Fraud Cases in Knoxville
Within the Knoxville Police Department, fraud and financial crimes typically fall to the Property Crimes Unit under the Investigative Services Division, which works alongside Crime Stoppers tip processing housed in the Major Crimes Division, according to the Knoxville Police Department. That division of labor reflects how the department separates violent and major crime investigations from property-based offenses like stolen card fraud. East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers itself was established on May 1, 2021, as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit through a joint initiative between the Knoxville Mayor's Office, City Council, and the police department, and it now serves more than 30 law enforcement agencies across six counties, according to prior Hoodline coverage of a separate case.
This month alone, the organization has issued a string of public identification appeals tied to payment fraud in Knoxville, including separate credit card fraud alerts posted on October 2 and October 9, according to the group's social media activity. Thursday's post marks the latest in that concentration of fraud-related tip requests.
Stiffer Penalties Depend on Dollar Amounts
Under Tennessee Code § 39-14-118, penalties for credit-card fraud depend on the dollar value of what was fraudulently obtained, according to FindLaw. Fraudulent purchases of $500 or less, or attempts in which nothing is obtained, are classified as Class A misdemeanors, while purchases between $500 and $1,000 escalate to a Class E felony.
The case lands amid a broader wave of card fraud across Tennessee and the country. Tennessee residents lost over $157 million to fraud in 2024, with more than 14,000 reported identity theft cases placing the state 24th nationally in identity theft cases, according to Federal Trade Commission data reported by WKSR. Nationally, credit card fraud remained the single most common form of identity theft in the country and exceeded 500,000 cases through the third quarter of 2025, per data cited by The Motley Fool.
Locally, the Knox County Sheriff's Office has also targeted organized card fraud schemes. In March 2025, its Organized Retail Crime Unit disrupted a nationwide “Tap 2 Pay” operation, arresting 11 people accused of using stolen credit card information to purchase more than $23,000 in retail gift cards in the county, according to the Knox County Sheriff's Office. Meanwhile, preliminary 2024 figures from the Knoxville Police Department showed citywide declines in several other property crime categories, including a 22% drop in car burglaries and a 15% reduction in general breaking-and-entering reports — a category of crime often tied to stolen physical credit cards.
Anyone who can identify the man sought in connection with case #26-03-5689 is asked to submit a tip through Crime Stoppers rather than posting information publicly. As with all individuals named in Crime Stoppers appeals, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
