Several UT students may have been victims of identity theft the past few weeks, and police are still looking for those affected, according to detective Emily Sellers.
“An individual went online and applied for credit cards in the names and social security numbers of several UT students,” Sellers said in a written statement. “The (UTPD) has made an arrest in this case. Due to the volume of unidentified potential victims and the end of school semester drawing near, we have decided to attempt to identify victims through (The Daily Beacon).”
Sellers said potential victims would have received contact from a bank or credit card company in the last two months and would have been advised that someone had attempted to apply for a credit card in their name. She said the key to identifying a faulty application was the address, which would be on Cumberland Avenue.
“If you meet this criteria and would like to assist in criminal prosecution, please contact (UTPD),” Sellers said.
Sellers can be contacted at 974-6631 or [email protected].
This recent crime spree is one of several cases the UTPD has dealt with this semester. According to Assistant Chief Debra Perry, the year has gone smoothly for the department with only a few unsolved cases.
“The biggest hurdle for us this semester has been the car break-ins,” Perry said. “It took several cases, almost 40, before we caught a lead, but we were finally able to apprehend our suspects.”
Perry said the addition of part-time officers enabled UTPD to finally get a lead in the case. She said the department used pool officers typically for university events, such as football games.
UTPD finally made an arrest when officer Meisha Thomas spotted a black SUV parked too close to another car.
“The kids we caught were young looking, just like any college student,” Thomas said. “They blend well so it makes our job more difficult when trying to pick out people who don’t belong.”
Even with the added difficulty, Thomas, a two-year member of UTPD, said campus patrol was better than most.
“Life is more fun on campus,” Thomas said. “Students are generally easy to deal with, and they will listen to you. You don’t always get that with adults because there have authority issues.”
After 23 years of service with UTPD, Perry said students can be easier to communicate with, but new issues arise every year with the quick turnaround in campus housing.
“We always have similar problems, but cases are difficult because people move on and out,” Perry said. “It’s difficult to track down people when you need them, and students are higher risk victims because they are very trusting. These are the things we deal with.”
Perry added that a difficult case this semester was the assault on the UT student Jessica Smith behind Reese Hall. The case is still open, and the Knoxville Police Department has yet to find the person responsible for Smith’s injuries. Smith currently is in rehab in Atlanta with her family, Perry said.
“It’s a hard case because it makes you wonder about what else can you do,” Perry said. “We try to do everything we can to increase safety, but then something like this happens and you question everything you do.”
