A stolen vehicle's OnStar technology helped Orlando police dismantle an identity theft ring that has already claimed more than 1,800 victims, authorities said Monday.
An 85-year-old man called Orlando police last week to report his credit card was fraudulently used by someone using the name Chrystie Hall to rent a vehicle from Thrifty Car Rental, which is located at the Orlando International Airport.
The man's card was charged about $4,000, a release states.
Orlando police investigators confirmed the vehicle was fraudulently rented, reported it stolen and then used the vehicle's OnStar, which placed it at Robinson Street and Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando.
Police located the vehicle and two suspects: Xavier Stephens, 27, and Bridgett Bennifield, 38.
Stephens had a backpack with numerous credit card documents inside. Bennifield had a purse with numerous credit cards in it.
According to police, the documents appeared to be reservations for travel and included arrival dates, lengths of stay, hotel information, names of guests, dates of birth and full credit card information with the expiration date and security numbers.
Stephens was in possession of 1,787 reservation documents and Bennifield had 68 reservation documents, police said.
Stephens and Bennifield told police that Hall works at Winter Park based Preferred Guests Resorts. The two told investigators Hall would steal reservation documents that are supposed to be shredded and then sells them by the bag to Stephens and Bennifield.
Each bag contains about 400 to 500 documents, and Stephens and Bennifield said they bought each bag for $100.
Stephens and Bennifield said they would resell the credit card documents for $50 per page, police said.
The total resale of the documents Stephens and Bennifield had in their possession at the time of their arrests was $92,750, according to a release.
The two told investigators they have been doing this since December 2014.
"(The) Orlando Police Department takes identity theft seriously, and we will vigorously pursue anyone who goes after our residents or tourists," Master Sgt. Rhonda Huckelbery said. "This is a huge mess. A lot of our victims are elderly and from out of state."
Orlando police said there could be more than the 1,855 victims investigators already know about.
Hall was picked up by police. She told investigators she has worked at Preferred Guest Resorts for 12 years.
"They said the that actually rented the car was the person that worked at Preferred Guest Resorts and instead of shredding the information, she was actually stealing it," Huckelbery said.
Police say all three suspects have previous criminal records.
Bennifield spoke to News 13 Monday after she bonded out of the Orange County Jail.
"I'm sorry because I didn't have anything to do with it," Bennifield said. "I don't know how many IDs and whatever they said was in that car. I don't know how much it was."
The U.S. Secret Service is also being called in because the card information that was stolen spans the U.S. and the world.
The suspects and their charges are as follows:
Chrystie Hall, 36
- Trafficking in counterfeit credit cards
- Unlawful credit card lists
- Grand theft motor vehicle
- Conspiracy to grand theft
- Scheme to defraud
Xavier Stephens, 27
- Trafficking in counterfeit credit cards
- 50 counts of fraud — possession of personal identification
- Unlawful credit card lists
- Grand theft motor vehicle
- Scheme to defraud
Bridgett Bennifield, 38
- Trafficking in counterfeit credit cards
- 68 counts of fraud — possession of personal identification
- Unlawful credit card lists
- Grand theft motor vehicle
- Scheme to defraud
Master Sgt. Rhonda Huckelbery, of the Orlando Police Department, sifts through the reams of paper with victims' identities. (PHOTO/David Bodden, Staff)