A pair of alleged identity thieves were captured in Long Beach, the Santa Barbara Police Department stated on Thursday. A Santa Barbaran reported on November 6 that a credit card had been stolen from his mail, and the suspect was on his home surveillance camera. Detectives discovered the suspect had used the card, and another person’s ID, to buy an expensive car at a local dealership.
Michael Flitterman and Alexandra Pearl were arrested with the help of Long Beach PD. The accompanying search warrant uncovered other identity theft victims, tools to make fake IDs, credit cards, checks, and other documents, SBPD spokesperson Anthony Wagner said. The two were booked on felony charges of identify theft.
Wagner took the opportunity to warn residents to be aware of mail and package thefts from homes. He recommended frequent mail retrieval and having a delivery service hold a package. The police are frequently helped by home surveillance equipment, he added, and credit-card owners can help themselves by monitoring their charge reports regularly.