Police seek possible ID theft victims

Volunteers with the Vancouver Police Department will be answering a special phone number Thursday and Friday evenings so folks whose names are listed on a ledger of possible identify theft victims can call and learn what to do.

Police found the ledger listing 402 names April 9 at the scene of a disturbance in a home near Fisher’s Landing. It was in a plastic tub that also contained credit cards, driver’s licenses and stolen mail.

Most but not all people who are named are believed to live in the Vancouver-Portland metro area. The roster specifies birth dates and Social Security numbers for some.

Officers have contacted numerous people whose names are listed and are investigating potential ID theft, police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said Tuesday in a bulletin.

However, the list doesn’t provide phone numbers, addresses, hometowns or other contact information with many of the names.

“We have no idea where these people are,” said police Sgt. Steve Dobbs. “They could be across the United States. Since there’s no way to track these people down, we’re hoping they will call us.”

The work is so time-consuming for the thinly staffed department that police have asked volunteers, including some with the Neighbors On Watch program, to help by answering the phones.

Police are asking folks, first, to visit www.vanpolice.org and, under Current Topics, pull up Ledger List to see if they are named.

If so, they are asked to call 360-487-7401 between 4 and 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

Volunteers who answer the phone will use additional information that police have to see if callers are the ones named, and if they are possible ID theft victims.

For names listed with a birth date or Social Security number, for example, volunteers may ask callers to provide those to see if they match, Dobbs said. Police volunteers are trained and have undergone background checks.

Possible victims then will be advised to obtain a free credit report and review it, and their bank and credit-card statements, for unauthorized charges.

If there are problems, victims will be advised to contact their bank and credit card issuer.

If a crime occurred, victims are asked to file a report with the law enforcement agency in their area.

Because of recession-related staffing cutbacks, Vancouver police have no property crimes unit with detectives that normally would investigate these types of crimes, Dobbs said.

As a result, Dobbs said, patrol sergeants and officers who also take 911 calls are finding the time to deal with such cases.