Suburban Identity Theft Scheme Reached as Far as Russia, Poland

Two federal grand jury indictments were handed down late last week, charging a total of 13 defendants. Two of the offenders came from Skokie and Northbrook while others came from as far as Russia and Poland, authorities said.

An international identity theft scheme was halted by the FBI following an investigation on Friday that dates back to 2009. The United States Department of Justice announced that two federal grand jury indictments were handed down, charging a total of 13 individuals with a variety of offenses - from scheming to obtaining goods, cars and money illegally. Among those charged were Peter Vana, 36, of Skokie, with three counts of wire fraud and Yaroslav Bolesta, 25, of Northbrook with one count of wire fraud. The duo is alleged to have participated in the fraud of purchasing multiple pieces of clothing, sporting goods, electronics and even vehicles through the use of identity theft and credit card fraud. All in all, 24 counts were made against …

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Barnes & Noble Card Readers Hacked; Skokie OK

Hackers stole credit card data from 63 stores around the country by hacking into PIN pads. The Barnes & Noble stores in Evanston, Deer Park and Deerfield had breached data.

  The Barnes & Noble store at 1630 Sherman Ave. in Evanston was among 63 stores around the country where credit card data stored on PIN pads was hacked, according to the company.  Barnes & Noble released a list of stores where data was breached on Tuesday; other stores in Illinois include two in Chicago, one in Crystal Lake, on in Deer Park, one in Deerfield and one in West Dundee. In Skokie, the Old Orchard store and the Village Crossing store (Village Crossing is half in Skokie and half in Niles) were not on the list. Neither were the stores in Schaumburg, Arlington Heights or Oakbrook Center. Earlier: Thieves use skimmer at bank to steal PIN numbers The company inspected every PIN pad in the nearly 700 stores nationwide and has …

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Daily PatchCast: Vacationer's Home Ransacked & Midwest Crane Count

A roundup of the region’s major developments for Friday, April 15.

Here's what's going on in Patch sites around you: Glencoe Blotter: Burglars Hit Vacationers' House; Graffiti Expresses Political Opinions. Wilmette Police Blotter: Arrested Woman Suspected in California Identity Theft Ring. Calling All Cranes—Stand Up and Be Counted. Highland Park Native's HBO Series Premieres Sunday. 

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Thursday Blotter: Construction Vehicles Vanish, Accounts Opened Illegally

At Skokie Patch, we update our blotter daily.

Trio of construction vehicles vanish A Skokie businessman came into the police station to report that his dump truck, trailer and Bobcat construction truck were missing Jan. 25. According to the report, the man received a phone call from the Calumet Park Police Department informing him that they had located his vehicles. However, when the owner went to pick up the trucks, he noticed that all three were not at the location. Calumet police stated they initially observed the dump truck at 126 Paulina Ave. at 7:30 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., police called the owner to pick up the vehicles. When the owner arrived, the vehicles were no longer there. * The dump truck was white with a black bed and the logo that said, “No Job Too Small, Call George Pappas…

Wed. Blotter: Identity Theft, Alert on Pilfered Purses

At Skokie Patch, we update our blotter daily.

New graffiti on Oakton Street While on routine patrol, officers noticed “LFKK” was spray painted on A&J Nails & Spa in the 4700 block of Oakton Street on Jan. 19 around 8 p.m. The business was closed at the time, but police left a message detailing the vandalism. Identity theft A man came into the Skokie police station on Jan. 21 to report that his personal information was used to open a Sear’s account. According to the report, the man never opened the account and $3,765.26 was charged to the card. The man also reported the unauthorized opening of a Best Buy credit card in Wisconsin under his name and more than $3,000 was charged. Police are investigating the matters. T-Mobile phone robbed Police were dispatched a T-Mobile cell phone store…

Tuesday Blotter: Sting Ends Credit Run, Police Chase

At Skokie Patch, we update our blotter daily.

Pizza sting operation After getting a tip from a pizza chain manager about a caller using stolen credit card numbers to order food, police decided to dress up one of their own as a delivery boy. According to the report, William Peppers, 31, of the 10000 block of Morgan Street in Chicago, was charged with felony forgery after he paid for $51 of food with a stolen credit card number. Police delivered the pizza to a school in the 8900 block of Gross Point Road wearing a jacket featuring the pizza chain’s logo. They also sported the restaurants sign on their undercover vehicle. After they witnessed Peppers sign the receipt, officers moved in to make the arrest. The credit card number was traced back to a woman from Alaska. According to the …

Monday/Tuesday Blotter: Road Rage Altercation, Identity Theft Buys

At Skokie Patch, we update our blotter daily.

DUI arrest Demetric A. Hudson, 47, of the 1400 block of Juneway Street, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol on Dec. 12 around 1 a.m. Hudson was stopped at a traffic checkpoint in the 8700 block of Skokie Boulevard and officers immediately detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Hudson also told police that he had about five shots of whiskey and five beers. His blood alcohol content level was .188. Marijuana arrest A Chicago man was charged with possession of marijuana when police stopped him at a traffic safety checkpoint in the 8700 block of McCormick Boulevard on Dec. 22 around 3 a.m. According to the report, police charged Kaloyan Marinov, 25, of the 6500 block of Hoyne Street, for possessing less than a …

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Wednesday Blotter: Courtroom Threat, Identity Theft Loss of $6,000

At Skokie Patch, we update our blotter daily.

Stolen license plate On Dec. 20, a man came into the Skokie police station to report that the front license plate was stolen from his vehicle while it was parked near Portillo's restaurant in Skokie. Police are investigating the matter. Couple reports identity theft A husband and wife came into the Skokie police station to report that both of them were victims of identity theft on Dec. 22. According to the report, $6,000 was fraudulently withdrawn from the couple's joint checking account from Dec. 10-14. The bank informed the couple that someone used a driver's license to withdraw the money. Christmas decorations vandalized Police were dispatched to the 7500 block of Kolmar Avenue on Dec. 23 regarding criminal damage to holiday decorations…

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