Peters Township teenager accusing of using dark web to steal fuelperks
A Peters Township teenager is accused of stealing Giant Eagle FuelPerks from 19 people across Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to a criminal complaint.
Peters Township police allege Paul Kostanich, 18, used the dark web to buy email addresses and passwords for the accounts, which he used to purchase fuel and gift cards at a McMurry GetGo gas station.
Police said they were contacted on Feb. 17 by Denise Huspaska, of Cleveland, Ohio, who claimed 1,500 of her fuel points, worth about $30, were used at the gas station at 4031 Washington Road. She also claimed the points were used to buy a Visa gift card for the remaining fuel.
The next day, police said they were able to use footage from the gas station to track down the license plate number from the suspected vehicle, which police said was a Toyota Highlander registered to Debra Lynn Kostanich of McMurray. Police said footage they obtained from the gas station matched the description of Kostanich’s 18-year old son Paul Kostanich.
On Feb. 19, police contacted Giant Eagle’s Corporate Loss Prevention, which informed them that the card used by Kostanich for the fuel purchase was linked to multiple fraudulent transactions.
Police said they obtained a search warrant for the Peters Township high schooler’s phone, and on Feb. 22, Kostanich confessed to making nearly 20 fraudulent transactions using information acquired from the dark web. Authorities did not disclose the total amount he is alleged to have stolen.
Kostanich has been charged with 19 counts each of access device fraud, identity theft and receiving stolen property. He is being housed at the Washington County jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond. HIs preliminary hearing in front of District Judge Phillippe Melograne is scheduled for next month.