Identity Theft Ring Uncovered in Pima County, AZ

An elaborate identity theft ring uncovered in Pima County, law enforcement took down some of its members, but the investigation is growing.

Meantime, the arrests haven’t solved one victim’s problems. His information is seemingly spread far and wide. To protect what privacy he has left, he’s asked us not to identify him.

It all started with the theft of a backpack, two months ago to the day. The victim was knocked out cold while visiting his sister at an Ina Rd. apartment.

“Someone, something, hit me. But whoever it was was like a linebacker. Because I flew,” he said.

http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

When he came to, his belongings were gone.

He was out some cash, and some personal information. He reported the attack to the sheriff’s department.

A few days later, money started disappearing from his bank account in the form of fraudulent checks.

“This is not your average bear, the more I look at it, and the more sophisticated it is. This is not somebody who just decided to steal my backpack or to steal your checkbook, and start taking money out of your account, they’re good at it, their checks are as good as my own checks, I mean they’re good enough to clear the bank,” the victim said.

Some of them were small, 50 dollars. Others, over a thousand. His total loss, he says, is between 15 and 20 thousand dollars.

“No one should have all this stress in their lives, it’s just ridiculous,” he said.

Several suspects were seen in security video in the stores where those checks were used.

“At this point we have identified at least four, and we know of at least five victims. But we have the expectation that that number may grow,” Said Deputy tom Peine with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Further investigation resulted in more suspects, and more evidence.

“It starts as one thing as one crime, and then it mushrooms into all these other aspects that weren’t visible at first,” said Peine.

Arrests were made, but for the victim, his struggles are not over. “My life’s been impacted to the point where I feel like I’m being hunted,” he said.

Identity theft often starts with mail theft. So watch your mailboxes, and report this type of activity to the Postal Inspector, or to local law enforcement.

Thieves often get a hold of addresses and credit card information this way, and use it to make fraudulent checks.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Email
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn
This entry was posted in Private Investigator Lexington. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.