Oak Brook ID Theft Ring Cracked

More than 400 U.S. citizens were at risk of having their identities stolen, police say

A multinational identity theft ring capable of defrauding hundreds of victims was cracked this week in Oak Brook after a several months-long investigation, police said.

Two people are expected to be charged by federal prosecutors in the coming days.

Their arrests came when Oak Brook police, after looking into complaints of ID theft, executed a search warrant on a property in Calumet City last week.

Inside the home, police said they found machinery capable of producing credit cards, blank credit cards, magnetic strips, holograms, and credit card and social security information on hundreds of victims.

Police believe the group received the card-making materials from China and the banking information, credit card numbers and names from Russia, The Doings of Oak Brook reported.

"It was a very sophisticated operation, and we believe at this point we may have only tapped into a small portion of it," Oak Brook Police Chief Thomas Sheahan told the Downers Grove Reporter.

He said that more than 400 United States citizens were at risk of having their identities stolen, but he couldn't confirm whether or not any of the information had actually been used.

Oak Brook Detectives Jason Wood and Scot Warren worked closely with retail establishments within Oak Brook over the last several months investigating credit card fraud and identity theft that led to the warrant search, Sheahan said.

"Oakbrook Center Mall is faced with these crimes on a daily basis. It is nice to take an investigation to the next level and bring down some of the individuals responsible for creating this problem," Wood said in a release from the police department.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a "parallel case," Sheahan told the Daily Herald, adding that more arrests could be forthcoming.

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