Alex Paul
Three Sweet Home residents were charged April 15 with identity theft after another resident reported more than $1,000 was fraudulently charged to her credit card account.
Sweet Home Police officers served warrants at 3350 Juniper and 3204 Long Street, where they seized computers, computer storage devices, multiple credit card records, methamphetamines and miscellaneous US mail in various names.
Charged were Ryan David Greer, 3350 Juniper: PCS meth, forgery I, fraudulent use of a credit card and identity theft.
Also charged were India Spring Hathaway, 17, of 3350 Juniper and Daniella Nichol Samard, 18, of 3204 Long: mail theft, identity theft, forgery I and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Police Chief Bob Burford said that on April 9, the victim reviewed her bank statement online and noticed several unauthorized activities on her bank credit card.
She called the bank and learned that four credit cards had been mailed out in early March. She never received the cards and realized she was also a victim of mail theft.
Investigators believe a call to the victim’s home, supposedly from the bank, set up the scam. Her husband was told the caller was from the bank, they were checking on their address to send the new cards and he gave the caller the last four digits of her social security number.
When the victim began tracking down the incident, the went to local businesses where the cards had been used and merchants used video recording devices to identify some of those charged.
Chief Burford said none of the three charged has a criminal background on file at the police department.
“Hathaway’s mother had called the police department in December saying someone had used her credit card and charged $6,500 but when a store video helped identify her daughter, she dropped all charges and the investigation was closed at the mother’s request,” Chief Burford said.
Chief Burford encourages local residents to be extremely cautious concerning identity theft.
He suggests the following:
— Buy a paper shredder for all personal materials, especially all of the numerous credit card applications that arrive in the mail.
— Never give out personal information over the telephone or internet unless you initiated the call and absolutely certain you are dealing with someone who is allowed to have such information.
— Banks already have pertinent information about your account. If someone calls and seeks information, get their name and number but look up the correct information and make your own call to proper officials.