A woman from Macon was arrested for identity theft after she allegedly purchased a Jaguar SUV online through Carvana using a Gainesville resident’s identification.
According to Gainesville Police Department spokeswoman Corporal Jessica Van officers received an identity theft report on September 4, 2019.
"The victim discovered her identity was used when a repossession company showed up to her Gainesville address to repossess a Jaguar SUV," Van said. "After discovering her information was fraudulently used in mid-August to purchase the vehicle online through Carvana, she immediately contacted 911 to file a report."
Vann said the department started a thorough investigation which determined a fraudulent driver’s license was used to complete a vehicle purchase online through Carvana.
"A copy of the purchaser’s identification is required to complete the online transaction; in this case, a copy of a fake identification was submitted," Van said. "The driver’s license information reflected the victim’s personal information, but the license photo was altered to match the suspect. When the Jaguar was picked up at an Atlanta Carvana location, the suspect allegedly presented an ID matching the one previously submitted online."
According to Van, Gainesville investigators collected evidence and were able to utilize modern facial recognition technology that led to the positive identification and arrest of the suspect Maria T. Williams, 52.
Williams was arrested in Bibb County and transported to the Hall County Jail for a single count of identity theft. The case remains under investigation.
