Parking in Bel Air? Take Your Wallet, Lock Your Car

Residents in Bel Air and surrounding areas should be sure not to leave their wallets or checkbooks in their vehicles, according to authorities.

Several cars parked by the MA & PA Trail have been cleaned out by criminals, according to Fox 45, which reported members of a nationally known band of identity thieves were arrested in recent weeks in Harford County.

The Felony Lane Gang is a group based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that breaks into vehicles, takes checkbooks and driver’s licenses, then goes to the bank to withdraw money, according to the FBI.

Posing as the people whose wallets they have just lifted, the gang members use disguises or enlist strangers to cash checks at banks, using the lane furthest from the teller at the drive-through to withdraw money. This lane is “dubbed the ’felony lane’ because of the ease with which false identities can be used to cash checks,” according to the FBI.

Four Florida residents were identified as members of the Felony Lane Gang after being involved in a traffic stop on MD Route 24 at Bel Air South Parkway in mid July, according to The Aegis.

Related: Officials Are Installing 8 Precautionary Signs on MA and PA Trail

The Felony Lane Gang tends to hit gyms, parks, churches or community centers, Maryland officials reported in 2013. Its members reportedly watch women in particular as they leave their vehicles.

The Felony Lane Gang has been active in Harford, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler told WBAL.

The sheriff’s office and Harford County government are in the process of installing signs near the MA & PA Trail to remind visitors to lock their cars.

“Don’t be an easy target,” the signs say in large letters, with this message below: “Lock your car and take your keys.”