Can Law Enforcement Use Social Media and Credit Card Data to Identify You

[Singingnome]

My question involves criminal law for the state of:US

Hello,
My BFF recently shoplifted, concealing on the floor and in the dressing room. No one said anything and she walked out with no issues but did make a purchase with a credit card.

Then she noticed that a police officer from that jurisdiction was looking at her professional social media page! She is fairly prominent on some professional social media sites and checks who views them. This cannot be a coincidence because she is not in this field.

Does this mean that they identified her via credit card and then looked online to match the pic to the video?

Has anyone heard of police identifying shoplifters via pictures online or using credit card swipes to get the name?

[Mr. Knowitall]

Yes, when you steal, your credit card information can be used to identify you. When you post stuff to social media, and open it up to the world, anybody is allowed to look at it.

There are plenty of cases in which the police have used social media to get tips on crimes or to identify suspects.

[PayrolGuy]

Including the Golden State Killer.

[Singingnome]

She didn't post anything on social media. Her profile just showed that law enforcement was looking at her.

[PayrolGuy]

The profile is social media.

If it happened it may have played out tis way. They thought she did it. She used her card so they had a name. They Google the name and see the profile and the profile was used to see a picture of her.

[Singingnome]

Yeah I think so. I'm just wondering if anyone has heard of this. This seems like overkill for a few cheap items I've never heard of anything like this.

[cbg]

Tell me, how much do you think she should be allowed to shoplift before law enforcement has a right to try to identify her and do something about her thievery? What would be enough of a value for you to agree that it would not be overkill?

[Singingnome]

I don't know. Maybe the equivalent amount that corporations (like GE) have kept from paying on their effective tax rate via corporate tax loopholes. Or maybe an amount equivalent to the amount Bear Stearns and the rest of Wall Street that bought up bad mortgages to profit from everyday Americans loosing everything they had. Sooo how much is that? My point is, that it's easy to hate/target low level thiefs but when it comes to the real $$$ then we choose not to prosecute.

[flyingron]

It's illegal to steal, even if you have devised a way not to get caught.
It is not illegal to take advantages of aspects of the law that allow you to pay less tax.

Police and prosecutors generally are not driven by hate. They are driven by the fact that they are DUTY BOUND by oath to enforce the laws.

[cbg]

So, we should allow her to steal, hurting the merchants and driving up the costs so that you and I have to pay higher prices for things because not every ethically questionable move made on Wall Street is charged and prosecuted? Is that what you're telling me?

And you think that it's on the basis of hate that she's in danger of being arrested?

No, dear, that's because what she's done is ILLEGAL. Why do we have laws against stealing at all, if we're just going to pat her on the hand and tell her, "That's okay, dear, you just go right ahead and break the law and steal and cheat; we won't do anything to you"?