Santa Clarita Valley Detectives Seek Help With ID Theft Suspect

Posted by: Perry Smith in Sheriff News August 27, 2014 - 5:10 pm 0 175 Views

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station detectives are seeking the public’s help in identifying a woman suspected of using identity theft to steal tens of thousands of dollars, officials said Wednesday.

Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking Santa Clarita news alerts delivered right to your inbox.

Deputies received a report of a residential theft Aug. 17 in a Westridge neighborhood, part of the unincorporated Santa Clarita Valley.

The victim was contacted by her credit card company regarding a suspicious transaction — the purchase of a $23,000 Rolex watch.

Detectives believe the suspect, whose picture they obtained from a Bakersfield business where the watch was purchased, obtained personal information from the victim so she could order a replacement credit card.

The suspect then stole the replacement credit card from the victim by intercepting the FedEx package the suspect had sent to the victim’s resident, according to Sheriff’s Station detectives.

The suspect then reportedly drove to Bakersfield and purchased the expensive watch, triggering concern from the credit card company and a subsequent call to the victim, who notified authorities.

After the purchase, detectives were able to track down surveillance photos of their female suspect, who they believe made the fraudulent purchase.

The unidentified female suspect was described broadly in terms of ethnic background, to include either white or of Asian descent.

Detectives think the victim might have been targeted due to a similar ethnic background to the suspect shown in the photographs. They’re also investigating the possibility of the female shown in the photograph being connected to other identity theft related crimes.

Anyone with information about incident or if you know who the woman shown in the photographs is please contact Detective Elliott at 661-255-1121 or at GAElliot@lasd.org – You can remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.