More Than 80 Arrested At Tysons This Holiday Season

Fairfax County police patrolling both Tysons Corner Malls in plain clothes during the 2011 holiday season made 83 arrests and recovered nearly $45,000 in stolen merchandise.

But they discovered identity theft — someone else using your credit card information to buy merchandise — is a larger problem than shoplifting.

“The biggest thing we saw in the mall was credit card fraud,”  Lt. Jeff Powell, deputy commander of the McLean Police District, told the monthly meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee last week. “One guy had 27 credit cards on him.”

Second Lt. Anthony Matos, who led the patrols said residents should “keep your ID under lock and key."

Powell said thieves can steal the information embedded on credit or debit cards and then obtain blank credit cards, embedding citizens' information on them before using the new cards themselves.

Fairfax police warned about thieves last month after a string of incidents at the mall, including

They attributed some of those incidents to out-of-state rings. Tysons Corner I is the nation's 10th busiest shopping center in the U.S., Matos said, targeted by theives up and down the East Coast.

The Tysons Corner Team by the Numbers:

Number of Days team in operation          31         
Number of Officers assigned                   14         
Number of Persons Arrested                   83         
Number of Felony Charges                     63         
Number of Misdemeanor Charges           58         
Total number of Criminal Charges         121       
 
Amount of Stolen Property Recovered and/or Money Seized $44,977    

Police sent along these tips for protecting yourself against Identity Theft and other financial crimes:

• Don’t keep your PIN written down and near your credit or debit card
• Sign new credit/debit cards as soon as you get them
• Destroy old cards after expiration
• Diligently review all bank statements every month
• Never give your account information over the phone to someone you don’t know
• Never provide your PIN to anyone. Your bank or credit card company will never request it
• Make sure your credit/debit card is returned after each use
• Do not include your Social Security Number on your checks
• Do not write your credit card number on your check
• Get in the habit of inspecting to see whether any checks are missing from your checkbook or your check order
• Immediately notify your bank if a check is missing or if checks you ordered are not received
• Criminals who use scams for financial gain can be great con-artists. If a deal sounds to good to be true, it probably is
• Never allow anyone to work on your home/business until you have a signed contract outlining the specific work to be done and a specific start and finish date
• Always get several estimates before accepting a contract for work on your home/business
• If you become a victim of financial crime, immediately contact your bank, the Fairfax County Police Department, and the three major credit reporting agencies