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The Identity Theft Task Force can be reached at (916) 874-3000
Investigations |
The Identity Theft Task Force is comprised of nine detectives, one sergeant and a full-time Identity Theft Prosecutor. The Task Force has struggled with an ever-increasing volume of cases. This has caused the Task Force to consider the number of victims, number of suspects, amount of loss, and available leads before a case can be assigned. Examples of identity theft cases investigated by the Task Force are shown below. For more information on Identity Theft and how you can protect yourself from becoming a victim, check out our "Protecting Yourself" section. 
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Case Highlights Case #1 Two suspects used a 19-year-old female to cash counterfeit checks totaling in excess of $32,500. The female was an employee of one of the suspects, and the other suspect was the person who produced and delivered the checks to the female. One of the suspects drove the female to various bank locations to cash the checks and obtain the money. The other suspect kept all of the money from the bogus checks. Status: This case consisted of two convictions for the above charges Aggregate Loss:
$32,500.00 |
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Between 1-25-05 and 2-1-05, the suspect fraudulently deposited five stolen checks into her personal credit union account. She then withdrew funds from the falsely-inflated account. The checks were drawn on two separate accounts, and all five checks are similarly endorsed. The endorsement signatures on the checks were compared by detectives to the endorsement signature in the suspect’s DMV record and they were found to appear similar. The suspect was clearly captured by surveillance cameras conducting two of the fraudulent transactions. The suspect depicted in the surveillance photos was compared to the DMV photo of the suspect and they appear to be the same person. Status: One warrant submitted for arrest Aggregate Loss: $1,191.34 |
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The suspect was an employee of the victim business. Another victim business issued a fuel card to the first business. The victim business discovered the card was missing and contacted the other victim business to cancel the fuel card. The business failed to shut off the fuel card, and the card was used at a Sacramento fueling station. The suspect was identified in a surveillance video by his employer as the person who used the fuel card to steal the fuel. The suspect was not authorized to possess or use the fuel card. Status: One warrant submitted for arrest Aggregate Loss: $10,975.40
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The suspect was arrested and is being prosecuted for possession for sales of a controlled substance. The prosecutor requested assistance from the Identity Theft Task Force to examine the California identification card used by the suspect and render an expert opinion regarding its status as a counterfeit identification in the preliminary hearing. Status: One suspect arrested Aggregate Loss: Unknown
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Beginning 02-14-05 and continuing through 02 -20-05, a suspect negotiated fictitious checks for another suspect. The suspects had first met on a telephone chat line. During their conversation, one suspect solicited the other through deception to pass the checks. The suspect was positively identified via photographic line-up. Status: Felony warrant submitted Aggregate Loss: Unknown
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