Rash of Identify Thefts Reported in Bloomfield Township

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI – Police took reports from five identity theft victims this week — two from Bloomfield Township residents who made unrelated reports that their personal information was falsely used to collect unemployment benefits, and three from residents who said fraudulent tax returns had been filed in their names.

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The victims in the unemployment scam were contacted by mail by the Michigan Unemployment office advising them of the status of their pending benefit claims, but neither had applied for unemployment, police said. It appeared that the claims asked that benefits be sent to a fraudulent location.

The Bloomfield Township Police Department’s Investigations Division is working with state police on those cases.

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In the other cases, the three separate victims said their tax returns were rejected when they filed them because fraudulent returns had already been filed in their names.

The suspect fled the area in the white sedan. The suspect is shown in the photo below, and anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Bloomfield Township Police at (248) 433-7755.