Brothers Held in Theft of Identities of 70 People

Two brothers suspected of stealing the identities of more than 70 people have been arrested, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday.

Hong Ha Vinh Doan, 24, and Tho Vinh Doan, 22--who were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of probation and parole violations--allegedly had an assortment of driver’s licenses, credit cards, bank statements and pictures belonging to several dozen people, authorities said.

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the country, costing consumers and credit card companies an estimated $3 billion a year, according to law enforcement officials. Criminals assume the identity of unsuspecting victims by stealing such personal information as Social Security numbers and run up large credit charges or drain bank accounts.

In 1998, Congress passed a law making identity theft a federal crime, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has proposed funding task forces in cities across the country to investigate such offenses.

The brothers drew the suspicion of sheriff’s deputies after a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon in Laguna Hills, when officers found what appeared to be stolen property, said sheriff’s spokesman Steve Doan, who is not related to the suspects. Further investigation led deputies to other sites where they found more incriminating material.

Sheriff’s deputies said they also confiscated a handgun, ammunition, several thousand dollars in counterfeit bills and a large quantity of the illegal drug Ecstasy.

Experts said the proliferation of Internet services that provide personal information for a nominal fee has given a boost to identity thieves. Last year, the Social Security Administration received more than 30,000 reports of misused Social Security numbers--triple the number of a year earlier. Los Angeles Police Department officials said identity theft cases last year doubled over the previous year to more than 3,000.

In Orange County, the Sheriff’s Department’s economic crimes unit investigates more than 100 such cases a month.

“It is a huge problem and the public is just beginning to be aware,” said Assistant Dist. Atty. Robert Molko, who heads his department’s fraud unit. “Typically, the victim is totally unaware. . . . Then two, three years later, their credit is ruined.”

Investigators are still trying to determine how the Doan brothers allegedly obtained the fraudulent documents.

It was unclear Thursday whether any of the alleged victims had been notified. Because of the ongoing investigation, officials said they could not release many of the details.

The two brothers were being held in separate jails Thursday. Both have past convictions for identity theft, the sheriff’s spokesman said.