Westfield Police Investigate Several Identity Theft Cases

WESTFIELD, NJ — Police have warned residents that identity scams and on-line fraud have ramped up amid the pandemic, and the latest list of police incidents in Westfield makes that clear.

The following identity and fraud reports were made to the Westfield police in late April:

• A resident of Rahway Avenue reported on April 22 that an unknown person used his identity to file an unemployment claim with the New Jersey Department of Labor. He was alerted after receiving a notification from his current employer. He suffered no monetary loss as a result of this fraudulent claim.
• On April 23, a resident of First Street also reported being a victim of identity theft and fraud. She said she received correspondence from Internal Revenue Service informing her that someone filed an income tax claim in her name, using the supposed income of $33,362. According to the victim, she was never employed by the company listed on tax documents and she did not file the claim. She did not suffer a monetary loss.
• On April 20, a resident of Boulevard reported being a victim of an identity theft and fraud. According to the victim, someone used her identity to open a fraudulent Best Buy account and attempted to make $849 in unauthorized purchases. But the victim did not suffer any monetary loss.

Police have encouraged residents not to give out personal information to strangers over the phone or on-line. Find out about recent identity theft and fraud scams in Westfield and around Union County in this story.

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