MONROE, CT — An identity thief stole a 65-year-old Monroe woman’s Social Security and TD Bank account numbers, and even compromised her telephone number so she could use it for her own phone. But the lack of a photo I.D. prevented her from withdrawing $9,500 from the victim’s account, according to police.
The victim’s two sons’ accounts are linked to hers police said. On Saturday, a teller from TD Bank called to inform one of them that a woman was impersonating his mother, while trying to make the transaction at a TD bank branch.
The son confirmed the suspect was not his mother and told the teller to deny the transaction.
The teller told him to tell his mother to freeze her account. When he called his mother’s phone number, a woman with an accent thanked him for the information.
When he got in touch with his actual mother, he relayed the information, police said.
The Monroe woman froze her account, before closing it and opening a new one. At this point, police said she did not experience a financial loss.
Later in the day, she spoke to her phone carrier and learned about a transaction at a wholesale store in Atlanta on Jan. 17, in which someone used her phone number and Social Security number to buy a SIM card and make an International Mobile Equipment Identity change.
“This allowed whoever was impersonating her to use her phone number on a different phone,” Monroe Police Lt. Michael Sweeney explained of the IMEI change.
The Monroe woman did not know how this occurred, but noticed her phone functioning differently since Jan. 17, police said, adding her phone carrier has since adjusted her account and added several security measures.
Distracted driving crash
A 20-year-old Monroe man reportedly told police he glanced down at his cellphone while heading west on Garder Road in his black 2020 Hyundai Tucson early Sunday morning, before his vehicle crossed into the left lane and struck a mailbox and a rock, rolled over onto its passenger side and came to rest on top of a stonewall, according to police.
Police said the driver declined treatment from Monroe Emergency Medical Service personnel at the scene and was issued an infraction for traveling too fast for conditions and use of a handheld mobile device, while operating a motor vehicle.
His damaged vehicle was towed by Mid-Town Garage.
The crash occurred near Applegate Lane around 1:26 a.m.
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