Police seek woman in bank scam

Glendale police officials are looking for a woman suspected of stealing more than $14,000 from several bank accounts throughout Southern California.

The suspect used an Altadena woman’s bank account information from April 2010 to September to withdraw money from bank branches in Glendale, Pasadena and Arcadia, police said. She was also seen using other bank account information to illegally withdraw funds from banks in Irvine, Los Alamitos, Rolling Hills Estates, Camarillo, Placentia and Fullerton, police said.

“She has been very active in the Southern California area,” Community Service Officer Steve Wilson said, adding that “no one seems to know who she is.”

Police described the woman as 45 to 55 years old, 5 foot 4 inches tall to 5 foot 7 inches tall, about 250 pounds with blond hair.

She may be driving a dark gray Chrysler 300.

The woman visited the bank branches and gave the teller a debit card, a Washington state identification card with her photograph and stolen victim information to access the accounts, police said.

She often withdrew about $4,000 per bank transaction, Wilson said.

The Altadena victim discovered that her identity had been stolen after the suspect tried to set up an account at a local Target, Wilson said.

In the Fullerton incident, police said the suspect tried to withdraw $4,400 in September from a Wells Fargo bank branch in a Ralph’s store, but was denied.

Soon after, she tried to withdraw money from a Wells Fargo bank in Placentia, but Fullerton police had already notified the tellers and the transaction was denied.

Anyone with details about the woman was asked to call Wilson in the Glendale Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit at (818) 548-3101. To remain anonymous, call the Glendale Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.