The Gwinnett County Police Department Wednesday asked for the public’s help in identifying a female who rented a hotel room in Duluth using false identification.
On May 2, the woman was seen on surveillance cameras entering the Studio 6 hotel at 2350 Stephens Center Drive. The woman reportedly went to the counter and presented a fake identification card with the intent to rent a hotel room. The fraud was reported at approximately 1 p.m. to local authorities.
The woman is described by police as a white female in her 30s or 40s with dark hair.
The complainant in the case who reported the fraud told Gwinnett County detectives the fraudulent behavior was common practice with a group of people he was traveling with, as was stated in the police report. Approximately one month prior to the report, the complainant joined his drug dealer, who offered to take him down the eastern coast from Albany, New York to Charlotte, North Carolina.
During their journey south, the drug dealer and several other people, who are labeled as “homeless” in the police report, committed bank fraud frequently. They used fake driver's licenses with photos of the people traveling south to reportedly “empty out bank accounts”.
According to the complainant, the homeless individuals participating in the bank fraud were paid in drugs. Additionally, the complainant said the group traveling south committing bank fraud was receiving their orders from gang members “who he was told were Bloods”, as was written in the original police report.
In the first quarter of 2023, Georgia had over 14,000 reports of identity theft, according to the Federal Trade Commission. These include credit card fraud, loan or lease fraud, phone or utility fraud, bank fraud and other forms of fraud related to employment. Georgia was the second-worst state in the country for reported scams, fraud and identity thefts in 2022, as reported by the AJC.
Gwinnett County officials are requesting help in identifying the woman as seen in the pictures above. Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at (770) 513-5300. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling (404) 577-8477 or by visiting www.stopcrimeATL.com. Those who provide information that leads to an arrest and indictment in this case are eligible for a cash reward, according to Gwinnett County police.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2023/5/1185542/gwinnett-county-detectives-working-to-identify-fraud-suspect