BOISE -- Police say two suspected thieves from California used a number of counterfeit credit cards to steal hundreds of dollars worth of items from stores near the Boise Town Square Mall on Wednesday.

Boise Police arrested 44-year-old David S. Bonilla and 35-year-old Hugo R. Aguilar on Wednesday afternoon around 4 p.m.

According to BPD spokesman Chuck McClure, that's when store employees became suspicious of the men when they attempted to make a purchase with one of the credit cards, and that card was denied. McClure says afterwards, store employees reported Aguilar and Bonilla to the Boise Police Retail Crimes Unit.

Police detectives from the unit quickly located both men as they attempted to make another purchase, and eventually arrested them during a traffic stop.

That's when police found at least 18 counterfeit credit cards, several stolen driver's licenses, and hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise.

McClure says the men were likely passing through the Boise area on a stealing spree that included several retail areas. He also said the type of counterfeit technique Aguilar and Bonilla allegedly used hurts both businesses and individuals.

Oftentimes they're using real account numbers, and they basically remanufacture the cards, McClure said. So in the end, it's not only the stores that are victimized, but the folks whose numbers are stolen end up being victims of identify.

Aguilar and Bonilla are currently in the Ada County Jail. Police charged the pair with two counts of felony burglary each.

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