Identity Theft Incidents Plague Ridgewood Residents

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Three instances of identity theft and a burglary were reported in the village recently, police reported.

Here are the most recent police blotter items provided by police:

• On April 22, a Barnett Place resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report identity theft. The victim reported discovering the fraudulent account after receiving an email regarding her credit score. The victim reported an unknown person opened a credit card account utilizing the victim’s identity. The victim then contacted the credit card company and cancelled the fraudulent account.
• On April 23, a Dorchester Road resident reported criminal mischief damage to a lawn decoration occurred in the past. The victim reported an unknown person cut a wire attached to an inflatable decoration. The value of the decoration is unknown at this time.
• A Lenox Avenue resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters on April 23 to report identity theft. The victim reported after receiving a credit card statement in the mail it was discovered that an unknown person opened a fraudulent TD Bank credit card account utilizing the victim’s identity. The victim responded to the bank to report the incident, cancel the account and open a fraud investigation.
• On April 23, a North Walnut Street resident reported being the victim of identity theft. The victim reported an unknown person utilized her identity to open a fraudulent account and make several fraudulent purchases without authorization. The victim made notification to the businesses and their fraud departments who advised the victim to file a police report documenting the incident.
• Patrol units responded to a residence on First Street on April 24 on a report of a burglary in the past. Patrol conducted a search of the interior and exterior of the residence but did not find any forced entry. The victim conducted a walkthrough of the residence and reported nothing was found missing but believed several things were moved within the residence.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com