Glendale police arrested five people after uncovering an alleged scheme in which shared apartment mailbox locks were tampered with and stolen personal information was used to obtain credit cards delivered to units on West Colorado Street. Search warrants executed on Aug. 13 reportedly yielded numerous credit cards, card re-encoding devices, cash, gold and a large volume of personal data. The investigation is ongoing; anyone with information should contact Glendale PD's Financial Crimes Unit at 818-548-4840.
Glendale Police Arrest Five in Mailbox 'Dummy Lock' Identity-Theft Scheme
Image Credit: Glendale Police Department.
Glendale police say an investigation into reports of mail theft at a West Colorado Street apartment complex uncovered an alleged identity-theft and credit-card fraud operation involving tampered mailbox locks and stolen personal data.
Investigation and Arrests
Detectives with the Glendale Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit began investigating after residents reported unknown individuals accessing shared apartment mailboxes in the 500 block of West Colorado Street. Search warrants executed on Aug. 13 at the complex led officers to arrest five Glendale residents and recover evidence that investigators say ties the suspects to a larger fraud scheme.
Who Was Arrested
Police booked five men into the Glendale Police Jail on various fraud, identity-theft and burglary-related accusations: Razmik Barseghyan, 36; Robert Poghosyan, 27; Vahan Kalashyan, 35; Armen Harutyunyan, 26; and Artyom Militonyan, 27. Authorities said individual charges may vary and the allegations have not been proven in court.
What Police Say They Found
According to investigators, the suspects used other people's identifying information to apply for credit cards, had those cards mailed to units in the same apartment complex, and retrieved them after gaining continued access to the mail. Police say the group tampered with shared mailbox lock mechanisms and replaced keyholes with 'dummy' keyholes that allowed unauthorized entry.
- Officers seized numerous credit cards and devices capable of re-encoding cards.
- Investigators recovered a substantial amount of personal identifying information belonging to other people, along with cash and gold.
- Detectives are continuing to analyze evidence to determine the total number of victims and the financial loss.
What Residents Should Do
Police and federal agencies warn that mailbox theft can lead to identity theft before victims notice any financial impact. Recommended steps include:
- Collect mail promptly and report missing checks, credit cards or other valuables to the sender and to law enforcement.
- If you see a damaged or altered lock, avoid confronting anyone and notify property management and police immediately.
- If you suspect your personal information was stolen, check your credit reports, monitor accounts for unauthorized activity, and consider a free credit freeze with the three nationwide credit bureaus. See IdentityTheft.gov for guidance.
If you have information about this investigation, contact the Glendale Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit at 818-548-4840. The department expects to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing consideration.
Note: The five suspects have been arrested, but the allegations against them remain unproven until presented in court.
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