ID Theft and Crystal Meth
High Speed Crime
Police See Growing Link Between ID Theft, Crystal Meth Use
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/US/Bu..._040324-1.html
"There definitely is a link between meth use and identity theft, at least in what we see," said Salem Police Chief Walt Myers, who was recently appointed by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski to direct statewide efforts to fight crystal meth use.
Myers is not alone. Police up and down the West Coast, from Olympia, Wash., to San Diego are making the connection, as "crank" has increased its hold on communities.
A Matter of Time
Officials at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and statewide agencies in other parts of the country said they have not noticed the connection that's being seen on the West Coast, but police in Washington, Oregon and California say they will.
"If some other states aren't seeing it yet, it's because they're not looking for it," said Lt. Brad Watkins of the Thurston County, Wash., Sheriff's Office. "They will."
Use of the drug skyrocketed through the late 1990s, and while it seems to have leveled off in many places, it does not seem to be declining. In Washington, for example, the number of labs seized soared from 69 in 1996 to 1,310 in 2002, according to DEA figures. In Tennessee, the number went from two in 1996 to 555 in 2002. Authorities in Indiana found just 10 labs in 1996 but busted 871 in 2002.
In the same period there appears to have been a rise in the incidence of fraud and identity theft. In 2003, the Federal Trade Commission received 214,905 reports of identity theft and 301,835 of fraud, up from 86,212 ID theft and 134,131 fraud complaints in 2001. Estimated losses to consumers from these crimes last year totaled $400 million, according to FTC figures.
One recent raid turned up a more sophisticated operation being run by meth users, Mosler said. Police found a computer with identity information from 45 different people that was being used to create driver's licenses that could then be used to get credit cards
We talk to ID thieves. They know they're going to get caught, but all they care about is feeding their arm," he said. "These aren't stupid people: these are addicted people. Tomorrow be damned, they want to feed their addiction today."
The "high" that the drug creates is particularly conducive to identity theft, too, some police say. The effects last up to 12 hours and users become extremely detail-oriented — several police referred to them as "tweakers." They also don't mind the filth they face "dumpster diving" for discarded documents.
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12 hours hell! ive seen people go on 'runs' for three days before they finally crash being obsesive/compulsive about anything and everything they're doing.
