WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |BR man arrested for allegedly stealing identity of local officers and deputies

BR man arrested for allegedly stealing identity of local officers and deputies

By Jim Shannon - bio | email

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A Baton Rouge man has been arrested for allegedly trying to steal the identities of 31 police officers.

A slew of law enforcement officials were on-hand for a news conference Monday announcing the arrest of 47-year-old Alton Davis. Davis is charged with stealing the identities of current and retired officers. "We spend our life trying to protect your identity," said Police Chief Jeff LeDuff. "Now, we see we're victim's ourselves."

Their investigation revealed the identities were compromised as far back as 2005. Davis allegedly would open credit card accounts, buy items like high-end electronics, and then sell them on the street. "Thirty-plus police officers, current and retired had their identities stolen. If you don't believe that this is a growing crime, a crime that can reach into every sector, no matter your socioeconomic, no matter what you do for a living, this is a crime you have to pay close attention to," added Chief LeDuff.

It could even be worse than the U.S. Secret Service or U.S. Attorney's Office believes. The compromise of identity could reach out to other city-parish workers. "It is possible that it extends beyond the Baton Rouge Police Department, perhaps to other city-parish employees," said U.S. Attorney David Dugas. "Although you do not have that confirmed, we're looking at that to try and determine if that's happened and the chief and sheriff will be taking precautions in that regard."

If convicted, Davis faces up to 15 years in federal prison.

EBRSO offers tips to avoid identity theft

• Avoid providing your credit card or checking account information over the phone or to make purchases or payments on accounts. If you must provide it over the phone, be sure that you placed the call and know who you are speaking with.
• Avoid using checks to make in-store purchases.
• Pay attention to the person in possession of your credit/debit card at the time of purchase and be sure to get them back from cashier.
• When paying bills, never place your checks in your mailbox and raise the flag for the letter carrier. This notifies thieves that you have checks in your mailbox that they can steal.
• If you must mail your bill payments, place them in a U.S. Postal Service drop box or deliver them in person to the Post Office.
• Daily, check all of your accounts and verify that all of your balances and transactions are accurate. Do a thorough check monthly.
• If a discrepancy is located, immediately notify the financial institution and report the fraudulent activity to your local law enforcement agency.
• Never throw away ATM receipts, credit statements, credit cards, or bank statements in a usable form.
• Keep a list of telephone numbers to call to report the loss or theft of your wallet, credit cards, etc.
• Review a copy of your credit report at least once each year. Notify the credit bureau in writing of any questionable entries and follow through until they are explained or removed.
• If your identity has been assumed, ask the credit bureau to print a statement to that effect in your credit report.

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