On Monday, Nov. 15, Ernesto Juarez, 18, and Jaqueline Portillo, 18, from Newhall, were arrested for allegedly making fraudulent purchases at a local department store with a credit card that did not belong to them. Deputies were able to contact the owner of the stolen credit card, who told them he had...

[SCV Sheriff] – A victim was reviewing her bank account information on Oct. 3 when she saw a check she had not written had cleared from her account. The victim looked for her checkbook and realized it had been stolen. On Sept. 23, the individual pictured here used one of the stolen checks to pay...

A Poway woman known as the “blonde scammer” pleaded no contest last week after accusations that she victimized several Santa Clarita Valley women with ID theft. Under the terms of a plea deal, Pilar Abalos, 44, of Poway, pleaded no contest to one count, and is expected to receive a three-year...

Kamala Harris Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today released guidelines on preventing and remedying medical identity theft, including best practice recommendations for the health care industry and tips for consumers.  The guidelines are part of a report, Medical Identity Theft: Recommendations for...

Kamala Harris Attorney General Kamala D. Harris released the first report Monday detailing the 131 data breaches reported to her office in 2012, showing that 2.5 million Californians had personal information put at risk through an electronic data breach. The report found that 1.4 million Californians...

Jeffrey Elvington Detectives from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station are investigating a case involving a suspect who is believed to be using a popular online dating website to lure in women, gain their trust and then allegedly steal their property. Detectives are aware of a number of women...

A Los Angeles woman accused of being the ringleader of a scam that stole thousands of dollars from women in the Santa Clarita Valley pleaded guilty to one count of identity theft Monday. Valerie Lynne Ray, 54, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to three years in a Los Angeles County jail, according to court...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Tuesday that they have cosponsored the Identify Theft and Tax Fraud Prevention Act of 2013, which targets tax refund identity scams. “I am pleased to join Sen. Nelson as...

A suspect accused of preying on white, blonde grocery store shoppers made a $220,000 bail Sunday afternoon, but will be due back at Los Angeles County Superior Court in San Fernando on March 27 to face six charges. Pilar Abalos, 42, of Poway, is accused of three counts of burglary and three counts of...

A detective with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station has a suspect in custody who is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from women by taking their identities and withdrawing cash and to make big purchases. Pilar Abalos, 42, of San Diego, had a $220,000 warrant out for her arrest on burglary...