MULTIPLE BURGLARIES SOLVED IN CAMP WOOD ARREST

Date Posted: 05/24/2016

MULTIPLE BURGLARIES SOLVED IN CAMP WOOD ARREST

The Real County Sheriff's Office obtained intelligence concerning multiple burglaries originating in San Antonio, Texas, which lead to a residence in Camp Wood in the 300 block of Leon Klink, Real County, Texas. Subsequently a search warrant was obtained; The Honorable Judge J.A. Martinez issued the Search Warrant for instruments of identity theft on the occupants of the residence and on March 6, 2015 at approximately 10:00 a.m. the warrant was executed with multiple agencies assisting Real County. The agencies included The Real County Sheriff's Office, The Edwards County Sheriff's Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Sheriff Elliott related, "We are always ready to assist our surrounding agencies so that we can share information and collaborate our law enforcement efforts to better serve our adjoining communities."

Discovered at the residence during the execution of the search warrant was narcotics and an abundance of identifying information on subjects to include their personal credit cards information, financial instruments, checkbooks, passports, instruments used for forgery, individual driver's license, and other forms of identification belonging to other persons. The totality of this information gathered during the search warrant identified "33" separate victims of forgery and identity theft.

Arrested for narcotics, methamphetamines, were Garrett Brown, Shannon Hewett, and Sierra Aguilera, all from Camp Wood, Texas. Aguilera was transported to The Edwards County Detention Facility where she remains on a $30,000.00 bond. Brown and Hewett remain in the Bandera County Jail with a $30,000.00 each.

Sheriff Pamela Elliott stated, "Victim of Identity theft and forgery are often victims for many years after their cases are resolved through the justice system because their credit history is often riddled with unfavorable information as a result of the perpetrators so we remain vigilant in attempting to cease this type of activity as soon as it is discovered."

Also, The FBI, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Earthlink have jointly issued a warning on how the growing ranks of Internet crooks are using new tricks called "phishing" and "spoofing" to steal your identity.

In an FBI press release, Assistant Director of the agency's Cyber Division, Jana Monroe says, "Bogus e-mails that try to trick customers into giving out personal information are the hottest, and most troubling, new scam on the Internet."

The FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) has seen a steady increase in complaints that involve some form of unsolicited e-mail directing consumers to a phony "Customer Service" type of web site. Assistant Director Monroe said that the scam is contributing to a rise in identity theft, credit card fraud, and other Internet frauds.

"Spoofing," or "phishing," frauds attempt to make Internet users believe that they are receiving e-mail from a specific, trusted source, or that they are securely connected to a trusted web site, when that is not the case.

Spoofing is generally used as a means to convince individuals to provide personal or financial information that enables the perpetrators to commit credit card/bank fraud or other forms of identity theft.
In "E-mail spoofing" the header of an e-mail appears to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source. Spam distributors and criminals often use spoofing in an attempt to get recipients to open and possibly even respond to their solicitations.
"IP Spoofing" is a technique used to gain unauthorized access to computers, whereby the intruder sends a message to a computer with an IP address indicating that the message is coming from a trusted source.

If you think your information has been stolen or lost, please contact the Edwards County Sheriff's Office at 830-683-4104 or your local law enforcement agencies. Also, ensure you file a formal complaint with the listed agencies:

- 3 Bureau Credit Reports: (1) Equifax 1-800-685-1111, (2) TransUnion 1-800-888-4213, and (3) Experian 1-888-397-3742.

- Federal Trade Commission: www.Identitytheft.gov/Assistant

- Federal Bureau of Investigation: www.fbi.gov