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Real estate fraud and identity theft cost victims time, worry, inconvenience and grief.
Quartz Hill resident Patricia Stevens knows the price of victimization
firsthand. She was one of about 50 people who listened intently as
Deputy District Attorney David Fleck and Los Angeles County Sheriff's
Detective Chris Christopher addressed those crimes at a dinner meeting
of the Antelope Valley Notary Network, on Tuesday night at the Larry
Chimbole Cultural Center. Fleck works identity theft cases assigned to the Michael D. Antonovich
Antelope Valley Courthouse. Christopher, who hangs his hat in a
Lancaster office, specializes in investigating reports of real estate
fraud and capturing the perpetrators. Often, in the line of duty, their
paths cross.
"Real estate fraud is accomplished through identity theft," Fleck said.
"Who can tell me what identity theft is," the attorney asked the audience.
"Painful," someone shouted."It is painful," Fleck nodded. "Who here has been a victim of identity theft?"
At least 10 of the 50 attendees raised their hands. "Not once, but twice," Stevens said.
"We kept getting all those (letters) in the mail, asking for further
information," said Stevens, a notary and insurance agent in the
Antelope Valley. She explained that the letters appeared to come from a
brand name computer company, thanking her for her credit inquiry and
notifying her that a credit account had been set up in her name. But,
the company needed a bit more personal information. She immediately
telephoned the actual computer firm and told them she never applied for
an account. "So they put a fraud alert on the phony account." She next contacted
all the credit card companies with whom she and her husband had
accounts, to alert them of the fraud.
Her other instance as a victim of fraud involved check forgery.
"It was very slick. Somebody printed on electronic checks with my
account information, but somebody else's name and address. The bank, I
won't say which one, was cashing checks with duplicate numbers. No one
was paying attention. Thousands and thousands of dollars hit our
account. We're so lucky we caught it right away. But, I'm very
diligent." Stevens said she constantly checks billing statements and
account balances. She also shreds. "I shred everything. I shred
envelopes. I even shred magazines before I throw them away - the
(cover) with my name and address."
Fleck said today's thieves have an advantage compared to those who stole "the old-fashioned way."
Thieves who had face-to-face contact with their victims risked a higher chance of getting caught.
"The victim sees you, can identify you. The victim can fight back." If
the perpetrator used a gun, that could mean an additional 10 years to
life of prison time.
Stealing with identity theft seems like a cinch.
"The loot can be delivered straight to your door." Those who do get
caught receive relatively light sentences. "It's a big problem, a
growing problem."
Through a process referred to as "skimming," thieves create fake credit
cards on which they put stolen numbers from authentic credit cards and
transfer all other information from real credit cards to the imitations.
"Consumer fraud in California: We lead the nation," said Christopher, when he took the floor to discuss real estate fraud.
"Real estate fraud involving identity theft takes 10 times as long to investigate as a grand theft.
In the Joseph M. Walton case, the then 62-year-old Palmdale resident
"had six notaries who would stamp anything" he brought to them. He was
charged with 51 counts for identity theft and real estate fraud which
caused more than $1 million in losses to eight victims.
Capturing these types of crooks relies on public awareness and sufficient information.
Fleck told the notary group to always "get as much documentation as you
can" because the "police are absolutely overwhelmed on this."
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