Brooklyn Center Police Help Uncover ID Theft Ring, Urge Community to Check Statements
Brooklyn Center police helped uncover an identity theft and credit card fraud ring in the Twin Cities suburbs this week.
In a release posted on Facebook, officers said they served search warrants at three homes in the area. An investigation discovered “a group of people working together to defraud businesses and steal identities.”
Brooklyn Center police Cmdr. Tony Gruenig said reports of the crime originated in Brooklyn Center, but the three homes searched were in Rosemount, Golden Valley and St. Louis Park.
Victims’ identities were stolen by using manufactured identification and credit cards. Gruenig said many peoples’ data were accessed by manual entry of credit cards.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Financial Crimes Task Force member agencies found the group.
The release also said a number of victims’ identities were stolen, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of items were purchased fraudulently. Those items included clothes, ATVs, a Polaris Slingshot and even an apartment rental.
Hennepin County prosecutors are reviewing the findings. Those include recommended felony charges for three adults involved. The release said one person arrested had an extensive criminal history with four active felony warrants.
The investigation is ongoing. Affected companies range from Duluth to Iowa.
Police believe many victims aren’t aware of the thefts yet. They advise checking your credit card statements from between March and October 2023 for fraudulent charges or purchases you did not make.
“If you are a business owner and this happened to you, you should contact the agency in which your business resides. If your business is in Brooklyn Center, get a hold of Brooklyn Center,” Gruenig said.
