Darien police recently reported four unrelated incidents involving identity theft or other alleged fraudulent use of financial accounts, including one in which a 21-year-old man was arrested.
Police described what happened in each case with these accounts, including accusations not proven in court:
A New York City man on Monday, June 19 tried to use a credit card to buy a $450 gift card from a store clerk in Walgreens at 138 Heights Road. But the clerk looked at the credit card and became suspicious, thinking it could be fraudulent.
The clerk asked the man, 21-year-old Yasir Eltigani of 148th Road in the Rosedale section of Queens, for identification. The man gave it to the clerk, and store employees called in Darien police at about 2:23 p.m.
Officers were given a description of the suspect and police matched it to Eltigani, who was still in the area. The clerk confirmed that Eltigani was the one who was trying to buy the gift card.
Police were told another suspect may have been involved, but officers didn’t find him.
When police questioned Eltigani, he said he had bought the credit card in Brooklyn from someone who embossed his name over the original owner’s name. He said he wanted to use the money to buy a Father’s Day gift.
The company that issued the credit card confirmed that the number on it was not a valid account — it was a number associated with a credit union in New Mexico. The company also told police that the card had been used to charge $374.10 earlier that day at a Walgreens store in Stamford.
The actual owner of the account was informed of the fraudulent activity and told she should contact her bank about it.
Eltigani was charged with using a stolen credit card, illegal use of a credit card, third-degree identity theft and attempted sixth degree larceny. He was released on $25,000 bond and has appeared in state Superior Court in Stamford. His next court date is July 28.
Other Darien Identity Theft Cases Reported
These three identity theft cases were reported to the Police Department in the same week:
- A 58-year-old Darien man told police that an unauthorized loan application was made in his name at Goldman Sachs. The loan was denied; the victim suffered no financial loss.
- A Darien woman, 43, told police that a credit card was opened in her name at Home Depot and $1,621 in charges made on it — but she suffered no financial loss.
- A 50-year-old Darien woman told police she received a text message purporting to be from Wells Fargo Bank, where she does business, saying there was irregular activity on her account. She didn’t respond with personal identifying information and later checked with the bank. She was told the bank hadn’t sent her the message.
Police issued this statement with their news release about the incidents:
The Darien Police Department again strongly cautions residents to be wary of scams such as this and to not provide any identifying information to anyone until such time that authenticity of the request is confirmed.