On July 21, Lear Capital, a Los Angeles-based precious metals company, contacted the Antioch Police Department to report suspicious transactions they believed were fraudulent.
Their employees noticed something was off, and instead of looking the other way, they picked up the phone and called us.
According to police, they said that call mattered. Detective Duff quickly connected the activity to victims in multiple states with combined losses of nearly $30,000. Within days, detectives served a search warrant at an Antioch residence and recovered stolen property, including $9,000 in gold, along with check-printing equipment, card readers, personal identifying information belonging to numerous people, and two firearms.
Terrence Langston, 34, of Antioch, was arrested and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office has filed felony identity theft and grand theft charges.
According to police: That’s the lesson in this case: early detection stops fraud. Here’s how to detect it early in your own life.
Freeze your credit. It’s free, takes about 10 minutes, and blocks anyone from opening accounts in your name. You can unfreeze it anytime.
- Equifax: com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze
- Experian: com/freeze
- TransUnion: com/credit-freeze
Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery. This free service emails you a photo of the mail arriving at your address each day, before it gets there. If something goes missing between the photo and your mailbox, you’ll know. Mail theft remains one of the most common ways criminals steal identities. Sign up at informeddelivery.usps.com.
Check your credit reports. You’re entitled to free weekly reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for accounts you don’t recognize.
Verify before you share. If someone calls claiming to be your bank, a company you do business with, or even law enforcement, hang up and call back using a number you find yourself. Legitimate organizations will never pressure you to stay on the line.
If it happens to you, report it at IdentityTheft.gov and file a report with your local police department. A police report is often required to dispute fraudulent accounts.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
