A Woodland woman allegedly used personal information from a living and deceased relative for their personal use, according to the Northampton County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Jack Smith said in a statement that on Tuesday, Susan Renee Fitch, 48, was arrested for two counts of Identity Theft.
The victim reported to Captain Chuck Hasty that while reviewing their credit report they noticed a account that was in collection and several other store accounts that they knew nothing about.
During the investigation Hasty discovered that there was a second victim in the case that had passed away in 2010.
Fitch was taken to the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office for processing and given a $2,000 bond. She has a court date Thursday. Sergeant Jonathan Jenkins and Woodland Police Officer Clarice Hagborne arrested Fitch in Woodland.
“Identity thieves steal your information to commit fraud by opening accounts for services and credit cards,” Smith said in the statement. “They can hurt your credit and cost you money, time and reputation.”
The sheriff provided several tips:
Don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write it on your checks. Only give out when it absolutely necessary.
Protect your PIN numbers. Never write a PIN on a credit or debit card or on a slip of paper kept in your wallet.
Watch out for people around; use your free hand to shield the keypad when using gas pumps, paying at stores and ATMs.
Collect mail promptly; ask the post office to put your mail on hold when you are away from home for more than a day or two or have a neighbor or family member collect it.
Pay attention to your billing cycles. If bills or financial statements are late or do not come to your mailing address, contact the company.
Get your receipts, compare receipts with account statements. Watch for unauthorized transactions.
Tear up or shred unwanted receipts, credit offers, account statements, expired cards or similar items to prevent dumpster divers getting your personal information.
Store personal information in a safe place. Don't leave it lying around.
Don't respond to unsolicited requests for personal information in the mail, over the phone or online.
Install firewalls and virus-detection software on your home computer.
Check your credit report once a year.
