Rye Brook Police Investigating String of Identity Thefts

Rye Brook Police are currently investigating a string of identity thefts that began in late January and have continued this month.

Five Rye Brook residents have reported that credit cards were opened in their names without their knowledge, some of which have charges worth several thousands of dollars, according to Rye Brook Police Lieutenant Eugene Matthews.

On Feb. 8, a man reported to police that someone had duplicated his personal check and forged it in the amount of $8,657, which was cashed by the bank on Feb. 5. The victim became aware of the incident after he was notified by Chase Bank's loss prevention department.

The day before, police were notified of another identity theft. A male victim reported that he received a charge card from a Kay Jewelers store in Danbury, Conn. On Feb. 6., someone opened the account with the victim's social security number and previous employment information. The person charged $6,000 on the account.

After notifying the credit bureau, the victim discovered another card had been opened in his name at a Best Buy store in Norwalk, Conn., with charges of more than $3,000 on the account. The victim also discovered that someone tried to open another account in his name at Nordstrom's, but was rejected because the person did not have sufficient information to verify the card.

On Feb. 6, another Rye Brook resident reported an identity theft that occurred sometime between Jan. 27 and Feb. 4.  The female victim also told police that someone opened a Best Buy credit card in her name in Hartford, Conn.

The victim became aware of the crime after she received the card from HSBC Bank in the mail, even though she never applied for it. The person charged more than $2,700 in electronics on the account, which authorities believe was opened online.

Residents reported two other incidents to police early last week.

One male victim told police on Feb. 3 that he received a Best Buy card in the mail on Jan. 28 and discovered that someone had purchased a computer in the amount of $1,000 on the card. Barclay's Bank also notified the victim and told him that someone had tried to open an account in his name to buy an Apple computer but was declined.

On Feb. 2, police received a report from a female Rye Brook resident who said that both she and her husband were the victims of identity theft. The woman told police she received a call from Sears' fraud detection department saying that an account was opened in her name at the Danbury Fair Mall in Connecticut on Jan. 30. The account had more than $3,800 in charges by the time the victim discovered the crime.

Barclay's Bank also called the victim on Tuesday to notify her that a VISA account had been opened in her name at an Apple retail store. That same day, the victim received two Best Buy cards in the mail issued in her and her husband's name, neither of which they applied for. The victim's husband discovered that the store credit card application had been completed in Connecticut and that the account had charges of more than $1900.

Police believe several of these crimes could be linked.

"These may be related somehow because it's the same banks," Matthews said. "We'll do an investigation to see if the victims have anything in common—do they work in the same place or do the same job where someone can get all their information?"

 "It could just be coincidental, but we don't know until we do the investigation," Matthews said.