The Financial Crimes Unit is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the man who tried to steal approximately $130,000 from an account at a Fort Washington bank.
The preliminary investigation revealed the suspect went to the bank in the 10000 block of Indian Head Highway on November 22, 2022. Once he reached a teller, he posed as a customer who had an account at the bank. Using fraudulent identification, he was able to convince an employee to authorize the transfer of the large amount of money from the victim’s account to another account outside of the bank. Before the suspect could then withdraw the money from the second account, the bank determined the transaction was fraudulent and stopped it.
How to protect yourself from an account takeover:
• Use multi-factor authentication with your bank
• Make the most of your bank’s security features, such as spending limits, push notifications for account activity, and additional measures to prevent unauthorized access
• Ensure your bank has a good way to reach you
• Use lengthy and unique passwords
• Safeguard your financial records (such as bank records, social security cards, birth certificates)
• Ensure that you practice safe internet browsing. Personal identifying information can be obtained through phishing, malware, and harmful downloads
If you fall victim to an account takeover, take these steps:
o Place a credit report fraud alert and/or credit freeze on your identity with all three credit bureaus.
o Ensure that you change your account passwords. Update account information for the affected account and any others that share passwords with it.
o Make sure that you report the incident of identity theft to law enforcement
o File an online report with https://www.identitytheft.gov/
Remember, your personal identifying information can be leaked because of a data breach. A breach will leave you with insufficient time to secure your information and will occur without your knowledge. So, consider taking preemptive steps to protect access to your personal information and set in place with safeguards with your financial institutions.
If anyone has information on this suspect’s identify, they are urged to call 301-516-1464.
Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device. Please refer to case 23-0004764. A cash reward is available.
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