8 More Arrested in Credit Card Fraud Crackdown : Investigation: Latest suspects are accused of acting alone. Earlier raids netted alleged ‘facilitators.’

FBI agents arrested eight more Orange County suspects in the so-called bust-out credit card scheme early Tuesday as authorities started concentrating on cardholders who allegedly acted alone to defraud banks.

The eight are among 42 people arrested or being sought on federal indictments and criminal complaints alleging that they, acting alone or with “facilitators,” bilked about 120 banks nationwide of $40 million.

Authorities shut down two rings last week that operated out of the county’s Little Saigon area and arrested 17 people, most of whom allegedly acted as facilitators.

Numerous individuals have learned how the credit card scheme works and have used it without the help of facilitators, Assistant U.S. Atty. Marc R. Greenberg said.

Those arrested Tuesday were the first to be accused of acting alone, Greenberg said.

The scheme, which has been used across the nation for years and has cost banks at least $100 million, took advantage of temporary credit established when payments are made to credit card accounts.

By overpaying credit card bills dramatically--by $20,000 or more--cardholders created temporary credit for three or four days until their checks were returned for insufficient funds. During that period, they charged expensive purchases, took large cash advances and sometimes traveled as far away as Asia. They then sought to erase their debts in bankruptcy.

Like those arrested last week, the suspects picked up on bank fraud charges in early morning raids Tuesday each had credit card debts totaling more than $100,000.

Those arrested and the unpaid charges were: Cuong Manh To, 37, of Fountain Valley, $204,603; Khue Ngoc Phan, 36, of Garden Grove, $146,372; Kea Tech Tea, 39, and Hoang A. Nguyen, 33, both of Westminster, $117,152 and $189,775, respectively; John Tran, 34, of Stanton, $155,000; Armando Chua, 42, address unknown, $104,000; and Howanto Hoo, 35, and Mia Wong, 41, whose addresses and amounts charged were not immediately known.

Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick released all but Hoo with orders to post bail ranging up to $50,000 within 10 days. Hoo was detained because he was in the country illegally and considered to be a flight risk.