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PAGE 6A —
New GBI unit takes aim at identity thieves
By Stephen Gurr
FCN regional staff
It’s a silent, often faceless
crime that can ruin lives.
Identity theft, in which a
person’s stolen personal and
financial information is used
to obtain credit cards, print
checks or even cover medical
procedures, continues to
grow as a major crime in the
U.S., with Georgia ranked
seventh in the nation per
capita.
In 2006, identity theft cost
Georgians an estimated $25
million. Since 2002, there
have been more than 34,000
cases reported in Georgia,
according to the Federal
Trade Commission.
■ Once someone’s got your
information, there’s a lot of
potential there,” said Terry
Sosebee, an agent with the
Georgia Bureau of
Incident
Editor’s note: The follow¬
ing reports came from the
ed agencies.
Cumming Police
Department
Server gone - An Otwell
Middle employee reported
that someone had taken a
wireless print server from the
school'. The man told the
investigating officer he last
saw the server about 2 p.m.
May 31 and noticed it was
missing about 9 a.m. Aug. 12.
He said the server was worth
about $576.
I hear you knocking - A
man reported that someone
damaged his front door about
midnight on Aug. 14. The
told the investigating officers
that he and a friend were on
his back porch earlier that
night playing music when
heard a loud knock on the
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COUNTY NEWS — Thursday, August 21,2008
Investigation. “Imagination is
the only limit.
Sosebee heads up the
GBI’s new identity theft unit,
which opened its seven-agent
office in Conyers earlier this
month.
The unit was created
through legislation signed in
May by Gov. Sonny Perdue,
transferring investigative
duties from his office of con
sumer affairs to the GBI.
u The growth of identity
theft in .Georgia has been
something the governor’s
been concerned about,” said
Perdue spokesman Bert
Brantley. “As this became a
bigger problem, he decided to
move it over to a task force.”
The model comes from
other GBI task forces that
have had success with focus
es on methamphetamine and
Internet crimes against chil
dren.
door. The man said he
answered the door and his
neighbor was standing there
holding an unrecognizable
object. The man said his
neighbor yelled at hiip to turn
down the music. The man and
his friend later noticed two
dents in the door. The officers
then spoke with the neighbor
who said he banged on the
door with a rubber mallet and
did not realize he had caused
any damage.
' Stolen converter A
- man
reported Aug. 12 that someone
had stolen a catalytic convert¬
er from a 2003 Mitsubishi
Montero Sport parked at
Clanton Fast Brake and AC
Service on Hwy. 9. The man
said the theft occurred some¬
time between 5 p.m. Aug. 11
and 7:45 a.m. Aug. 12. The
owner of the car was not pre¬
sent at the time of the report.
Doggone it - A man who
It’s very clear that when
the GBI is given the resources
and focus to narrow on a spe
cific issue, they have an
amazing ability to get the job
done,” Brantley said,
Sosebee’s agents will field
calls and look into individual
cases, with a concentration on
busting large-scale identity
theft rings that may involve
numerous offenders and
dozens of stolen identities.
Personal information can
be stolen through computer
hacking, theft from mailboxes
or even Dumpster diving. It’s
the new unit’s job'to put
together complex, paper puz
zles and track down those
who are often meticulous in
covering their tracks,
“Everyone thinks of it as
being a white-collar crime,
and there is a lot of paper
work,” Sosebee said. “But the
unit is operated much like a
lives on Ann Avenue in
Cumming reported Aug. 11
that his dog was attacked by
his neighbor’s dog. The man
told the investigating officer
that his wife had taken their
dog out for a walk that morn¬
ing when the neighbor’s dog
approached and began growl¬
ing. She picked up her dog
and left. She later let her dog
out into the backyard and the
neighbor’s dog came through ,
the woods and attacked the
couple’s dog, causing injuries
to its back legs. The attacking
dog was taken into custody. Its
owner was not at home when
the incident occurred.
Forsyth County
Sheriff’s Office
Hit and run - A woman
reported Aug. 11 that the
bumper of her white 2004
Ford Focus was damaged Aug.
9 while she was at the neigh-
plainclothes, covert operation
in that we do a lot of surveil
lance work.
“It’s set up along the lines
of a drug unit. We spend a lot
of time in the field. It’s not
just sitting at a computer and
talking on the phone,
The new law signed by
Perdue gives the GBI “origi
nal jurisdiction” to investigate
identity theft cases. In the
past, the GBI could only
investigate crimes at the
request of local sheriff’s and
police departments. The law
also gives the GBI new, limit
ed subpoena powers for some
financial documents,
Local law enforcement
agencies continue to have the
authority to investigate identi
ty theft as well,
Previously, the Governor’s
Office of Consumer Affairs
was the state agency which
handled big identity theft
borhood pool in the Vineyards
subdivision in southeastern
Forsyth County.
Screwy situation - A man
reported that his red 2002
Chevrolet Suburban had been
broken into sometime between
midnight and 5:45 a.m. Aug.
11. The man told the investi¬
gating deputy that his stereo
had been removed from the
dashboard. His in-car DVD
player, 10 DVDs and $85
were missing from the truck.
A large screwdriver found in
the passenger seat was collect¬
ed as evidence. The man said
it did not belong to him.
Four-wheel crime - An
employee of Billy Howell
Ford on Atlanta Highway
reported Aug. 14 that someone
had taken tires off three vehi¬
cles at the dealership. The
man told the investigating
deputy the thefts occurred
sometime between 8 p.m.
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cases. But with four investi
gators in its criminal unit, the
office had its hands full.
“It’s kind of like a bottom
less pit,” said Office of
Consumer Affairs spokesman
Bill Cloud. “The numbers,
the types, the sophistication.
. We think we did a good
job considering the resources,
but we certainly endorse the
governor’s decision to put it
in the GBI and put additional
resources into it.”
Initially the plan was to
fund the new unit with a bud
get of $1 million. But with
cutbacks on all levels of state
spending, the unit will have
to “build up” to that number
over time, Brantley said.
One position — a forensy
computer specialist
remains open for now.
Besides making cases
through investigations that
can take months, the new
Aug. 13 and 6:30 a.m. Aug.
14. The wheels were removed
from three 2008 Lincoln
Navigators parked near the
front of the dealership.
Occupational hazard - A
plumber reported Aug. 14 that
he was bitten by a dog at a
house, on Bellmonte Drive in
western Forsyth. The man told
the investigating deputy that
no one answered when he
rang the doorbell to do some
plumbing work. The home¬
owner’s dog then attacked him
as he was walking back to his
vehicle. The homeowner even¬
tually came out, grabbed the
dog by the collar and took it
inside. The deputy noted that
the man had two puncture
wounds on his abdomen and a
cut on his left thumb.
Hot wheels - A woman
reported Aug. 14 that a bicycle
had been taken from her home
on Lanier Heights Drive north
i
identity theft unit is assuming
the role of educator for both
local law enforcement and the
public at large, Sosebee said,
He noted that the Federal
Trade Commission estimates
that 65 percent of identity
theft victims never report the
crimes to |aw enforcement,
■ we’re
probably not going to be able
to solve every crime that
comes along, but all we can
do is try once it’s brought to
our attention,” Sbsebee said,
“If you never know about it,
it’s very hard to take action, ••
Noting that the state has
gone from 12th to seventh
place in identity theft during
a four-year span, Sosebee
said Georgia is “going in the
wrong direction.”
But hopefully by educat
ing folks and working these
cases, we’ll reduce those
numbers.
of Cumming. The woman said
her Jeep mountain bike disap¬
peared sometime between 8
and 8:30 a.m. from her drive¬
way. She said she left the bike
there while she ran some
errands.
Burglary - A woman
reported Aug. 13 that someone
took medication from her
home in Laurel Springs in
south Forsyth County when
she and her husband took their
daughter to college. The
woman said they were gone
from 7 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. Aug.
12. She told the investigating
deputy a neighbor called her
at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 12 and
asked if they needed help
packing, which vehicles they
were taking and if her hus¬
band was going. The woman
discovered Aug. 13 that her
basement window was broken
and a bottle of pain medica¬
tion she had in the bathroom
was missing.