Mail Theft Monday – 11/30/09
Editor’s Note: This edition of Mail Theft Monday is one week late. Blame it on the Holidays 🙂
Here’s the last November edition of “Mail Theft Monday“…
During these busy Holidays, none of us really have the time for close reading, so I’m trying a new strategy: I’m going to put in bold what I think you should read most carefully, and that should cut down your Mail Boss Blog reading time significantly 😉
So that’s my disclaimer… emphases added below!
Identity theft: One couple’s story
Santa Cruz Valley Sun – 11/27/09
(GREEN VALLEY, ARIZONA) “Bill and Dorothy McKenna of Green Valley learned through experience that identity theft can turn your world upside down, and only through hours of phone calls and getting others involved can you make it right again. State [Asst AG] called identity theft “a very debilitating type of fraud” at the Senior Anti-Crime workshop in Tucson this month. He said retirees are easy targets and Arizona is the top state for reporting identity thefts, […]. Identity theft, according to the [BBB], “involves the deliberate use of false or stolen information such as a person’s name, birth date, Social Security number, address or bank account to obtain merchandise and cash.” It’s also the fastest-growing crime in the nation.
Stolen driver’s license numbers and access to personal identification numbers (PINs) and Internet passwords also provide opportunities for identity theft. […] Identity theft can happen via a stolen or lost wallet, “dumpster diving” to retrieve personal information, home theft and mail taken from an unlocked mailbox even though mail theft is a federal crime. […]
[…] If you become a victim of identity theft, the [AG]’s office suggests you act immediately. The BBB said people don’t know they’ve had their identity stolen until they get calls from collection agencies, significant charges show up on bills for purchases they never made, they are denied the ability to rent or buy a home or are contacted by the police after crimes are committed in their names. Victims should immediately call one of the three credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on their credit file. File a police report immediately and get copies as proof of the crime to submit to creditors. File a complaint with the [FTC]. Close accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. […]”
Gates Mills Police Blotter: Mail stolen
Cleveland.com – 11/26/09
(CLEVELAND, OHIO) “THEFT, RIVERVIEW ROAD: At about 4 p.m. Nov. 17, a woman went to the police station to report the theft of her mail. Police investigated and found that the mail was stolen from the woman’s mailbox around Nov. 16. Police are seeking help in solving the crime. Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact Detective Barnes at (440) 423-4456.”
Tulare man gets 9 years in prison on drug, identity theft charges
Visalia Times-Delta – 11/25/09
(VISALIA, CALIFORNIA) “A Tulare man was sentenced to nine years in prison Tuesday after pleading no contest to possession of methamphetamine for sale, identity theft, possession of stolen property and possession of equipment to scan credit cards. […] In August, officers searched cars associated with Rodriguez and others and found more than $4,600 and 260 grams of methamphetamine in one vehicle […]. More than 147 grams of methamphetamine was found in another vehicle […]. A search of Rodriguez’s home found stolen driver’s licenses, credit applications, forged checks and stolen mail, prosecutors said. […] A dozen forged driver’s licenses with Rodriguez’s photograph were located as well, prosecutors said.”
3 arrested in identity theft investigation
Gazette-Times – 11/23/09
(CORVALLIS, OREGON) “The Benton County Sheriff’s Office announced […] the arrests of three people in an identity theft case and say that more arrests could follow. Investigators recovered stolen driver’s licenses, credit cards, Social Security cards, checks, stolen mail, a stolen laptop and printer and methamphetamine after executing a search warrant Nov. 12 […]. According to the press release, Neil and McLaren, who had no listed address, also were in possession of blank check paper and magnetic ink, which is used to make checks bank-compliant.
Neil was jailed on charges of identity theft, forgery, fraudulent use of credit card, theft, mail theft and a fugitive warrant out of California. Mclaren was arrested for identity theft, fraudulent use of credit card, theft and mail theft.
Investigators also took into evidence several pieces of mail that had been stolen was from the Crescent Valley and Vineyard Mountain area. […] Seized from the Herrmann residence were stolen credit cards, a stolen driver’s license and stolen mail. Also seized from the residence was a digital scale, packaging material for controlled substances and a small amount of methamphetamine. […]”