MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Detectives are searching for a clever identity thief who was brazen enough to show up to his victim's home to personally claim the proceeds of his crime.
To avoid raising suspicion, the identity thief had about $5,000 worth of jewelry shipped to the victim's home. He tracked the UPS package closely. And when it arrived to the home at Miami-Dade County's village of Virginia Gardens on May 29, he showed up to steal it.
Virginia Gardens Police Department Chief Raymond Hernandez released surveillance video from the identity theft victim's Ring home security system on Friday. He wants Miami-Dade County residents to beware of this scammer's modus operandi.
"That house was targeted," said Detective Darwin Villavicencio, who described the thief as bold.
The video shows the fraudster knocked on the door of the victim's home, and he politely said that his package had been erroneously delivered to the wrong home. In this case, the identity theft victim's stepdaughter, Isbel Ramon, hesitated to hand it over.
Ramon said the package was addressed to her stepfather, Maikel Fernandez. She had signed for it when UPS delivered it to their home.
"I am Maikel, I am Michael Fernandez, not Maikel. That is my package," the thief said trying to persuade her to hand it over. "I can show you now."
Her mistrust prompted the fraudster to break into the home and forcefully take the package from her. When he got away, she called police to report the man for battery and burglary. She later found out the sophisticated porch pirate had done much more than that.
Villavicencio is asking anyone with information about the thief in the video to call him at 305-874-3141 or to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.