Police: 300 Victims Affected by Identity Theft Scam

Police in Connecticut believe two New York City men may have been involved in an identity theft operation that victimized about 300 people across the United States.

This morning, the men turned themselves in on warrants accusing them of attempting to use a bogus credit card at the Rite Aid at 435 Main St., Monroe, CT., on July 10.

Det. Michael Chaves told Patch that an investigation has found links to identity theft and credit card fraud spanning all 50 states. He said the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force is investigating the some 300 cases in conjunction with the U.S. Secret Service.

Jerome Ravenell, 30, of 224 York St., Brooklyn, was charged with 10 counts of unlawful completion or reproduction of a credit card. Dequan Bates, 21, of 53 Grant St., Hempstead, NY, was charged with one count of accessory to commit unlawful completion or reproduction of a credit card. Both were held on $50,000 court set bond and are scheduled to be arraigned today.

On July 10, Monroe police officers went to Rite Aid to investigate a report of a man attempting to use a fraudulent credit card. Bates and Ravenell were arrested on numerous financial crime and identity theft charges.

While searching the men, police said they found a "thumb drive" in Ravenell's pocket. A digital forensic exam was conducted on the USB storage device for evidence relating to credit card fraud or ID theft.

Located on the USB storage device were files containing track data from credit/debit cards, police said, adding the files contained track data from credit/debit cards indicating approximately 300 other victims of ID theft and credit card fraud.

The USB storage device also contained a digital photo, a headshot of Dequan Bates. This picture was ued on the fraudulent Florida driver's license in Bates' possession, according to police.

Based on the results of this investigation, arrest warrants were obtained for both Ravenell and Bates.

What to Do If Your Credit Card Is Compromised

According to the Better Business Bureau's information on credit card fraud , the following credit bureaus allow you to check a credit report or report identity fraud, as they monitor activity on consumer credit accounts:

Equifax
888-766-0008
Consumer Fraud Division
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, Ga. 30374
www.equifax.com

Experian
888-397-3742
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, Texas 75013
www.experian.com

TransUnion
800-680-7289
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, Pa. 19022
www.transunion.com