Antioch man accused of $30,000 multi-state identity theft scheme
By Tim Fang
An East Bay man was arrested and is facing multiple felony charges for his alleged role in a multi-state identity theft scheme, authorities said.
According to Antioch Police, the arrest stemmed from an investigation that began on July 21, when they were contacted by Lear Capital, a precious metals company based in Los Angeles. The company reported suspicious transactions that they believed were fraudulent.
“Their employees noticed something was off, and instead of looking the other way, they picked up the phone and called us,” police said in a statement. “Most identity theft victims don’t know they’ve been targeted until the damage is done. Alert businesses are often the first to spot it.”
A detective was able to connect the transactions to victims in multiple states. Police said the victims had lost nearly $30,000 combined.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for an Antioch home. According to officers, the search yielded stolen property, including $9,000 in gold.
Check printing equipment, card readers and two firearms were also recovered, police said, along with the personal identifying information of what they described as “numerous people.”
A suspect, identified as 34-year-old Terrence Langston, was arrested. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office has charged Langston with felony identity theft and grand theft.
To prevent identity theft, police suggested freezing credit with the major credit bureaus, signing up for Informed Delivery with the U.S. Postal Service and checking credit reports.
