A Bronx, New York, man is in York County Prison after he allegedly tried to use the ID card information of a Washington man who is 6 inches taller than he, and Springettsbury Township Police busted him for identity theft, the York daily record reports.
Jose Danilo Caceres, 23, tried to use a Verizon customer's account to buy four iPhone 8 Plus cellphones valued at nearly $3,200 on Dec. 6, according to the arrest affidavit from township police.
Shortly before 9 p.m. Dec. 6, police responded to the Verizon Wireless store in the 2800 block of Whiteford Road for a report of fraud. A store employee told police a man was in the store trying to pick up four iPhones, but the employee had verified the man was not the owner of the account.
The employee told police he believed the man was using a fake ID since the name on the ID was the same as the account owner, who had not authorized the purchase of the phones.
Officer Cory Landis arrived at the store and spoke with the man, later identified as Caceres. He seemed nervous when Landis asked him how he was doing. Landis told Caceres he was there to determine if his ID was valid, and Caceres turned over a Washington driver's license with Caceres' picture, but with a different name and date of birth.
Shortly before 9 p.m. Dec. 6, police responded to the Verizon Wireless store in the 2800 block of Whiteford Road for a report of fraud. A store employee told police a man was in the store trying to pick up four iPhones, but the employee had verified the man was not the owner of the account.
The employee told police he believed the man was using a fake ID since the name on the ID was the same as the account owner, who had not authorized the purchase of the phones.
Officer Cory Landis arrived at the store and spoke with the man, later identified as Caceres. He seemed nervous when Landis asked him how he was doing. Landis told Caceres he was there to determine if his ID was valid, and Caceres turned over a Washington driver's license with Caceres' picture, but with a different name and date of birth.
When Caceres arrived at the store on Dec. 6 to pick up the phones, the employees discovered the complaint filed by the account owner and started to stall Caceres as they attempted to contact the account owner.
One of the store employees found that the transaction to purchase the phones had been done so the purchase price of the phones would be charged to the account owner's account, and only the taxes would be paid for up front.
Landis made contact with the owner of the account and learned that he didn't permit the purchase of the phones and that his address was the one Caceres had on the ID later found to be fake.
When Landis told Caceres he was investigating the incident, Caceres said he had randomly found the victim's information online and that he had acted on his own and wasn't part of an organized crime group.
Caceres was charged with felony counts of identity theft, criminal attempt at theft by deception or false impression and tampering with public records/information. He was sent to York County Prison after he was unable to post bail following his arraignment Thursday. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 21 before Judge Barry Bloss.
