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Patrol units were sent to Summer Street at Sixth Street on a report of two people fighting on Thursday, Dec. 27.
The responding officers located Darren Crenshaw, 31, and Deshawn Johnson, 27.
Both live in Atlanta, Stamford Police said.
During the course of the investigation, officers recovered several fraudulent identifications, personal and business checks, ledgers, and notebooks which contained victim’s information (name, address, social security numbers, dates of birth) and bank account information. The majority of the checks were likely stolen from postal mailboxes or corporate buildings, police said, noting that none of the victims were Stamford residents or companies.
Patrol officers and Investigators from the Financial Crime Unit sorted through the evidence and charged Crenshaw and Johnson with disorderly conduct, identity theft (15 counts), forgery (two counts), criminal impersonation (three counts), credit card theft, larceny and conspiracy related to the charges. Crenshaw and Johnson are both currently in the custody of the Department of Corrections.
The Stamford Police Department is reminding the community of the prevalence of financial crimes and identity theft schemes so people can take necessary precautions and properly safeguard their information.
The department continuously receives complaints regarding the theft and counterfeiting of checks and other crimes committed from compromised personal and banking information.
Many times, victims have deposited checks or other financial correspondences into USPS mailboxes throughout Stamford. These documents are stolen from mailboxes and they provide criminals the information to pursue a variety of financial crimes.
The USPS has made the following suggestions to avoid being victimized:
- Deposit outgoing mail into blue collection boxes before the final pick up of the same day of deposit. Check the pickup schedule posted on the box to ensure your mail will not sit in the box overnight or over the weekend.
- If you have concerns about security in your neighborhood, place mail in a secure receptacle at your place of business, or at a Post Office.
- If you see any suspicious substance, such as glue or other sticky product on the mailbox, please contact your local Post Office to report it, and notify Postal Inspectors at 877-876-2455.
- Immediately report any suspicious activity at any mail receptacle.
- If customers believe they have been a victim of mail theft, identity theft, fraud or other crimes involving the U.S. Mail, they can report it online 24/7, by visiting the Inspection Service website at www.postalinspectors.uspis.gov. (Select “contact us” and then “file a complaint.”) You can also call their national hotline at 877-876-2455.
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