Suspected ID Thieves Arrested in RPV

A couple accused of identity theft was arrested earlier this month after allegedly using another person's identity to rent a home in Rancho Palos Verdes, according to a news release posted Wednesday on the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lomita Station's website.

The couple was not identified.

"The suspects had stopped paying rent on the home and had been sued by the homeowner for back rent owed," according to the news release. "The suit ended in a judgment against the victim, who resides in a different state. The victim was not aware that he was the victim of identity theft until his accounts were frozen by the homeowner who won the civil suit."

Deputies discovered that the suspects had accumulated about $80,000 of credit card debt under the victim's name.

"When Lomita Station detectives arrested the suspects, one suspect was in possession of identification that had his photo on it, but the information belonged to another person," according to the news release. "The name on the false identification (led) to a bank account which had been closed due to suspicious activity."

Deputies believe the suspects also may have used false identification to buy vehicles and send them overseas. One vehicle has been recovered since the couple's arrest, according to the news release.