According to the Lompoc Record, Kimberly Machleit, 36, and Donald Anderson, 37, both of Santa Maria, and Kevin Rasmussen, 28, of Tustin, face 26 counts that include fake ID fraud, grand theft auto, receiving stolen property, and false impersonation. The three are accused of using fake IDs to obtain loans used to purchase vehicles from at least five dealerships, from May to August 2020.
The investigation into the car thefts began Aug. 20, when sheriff’s detectives started looking into Rasmussen and “multiple associates” for large-scale fraud, according to a Jan. 19 declaration filed by Deputy Justin DiPinto of the Special Investigations Bureau.
DiPinto said Rasmussen successfully walked into at least five local car dealers and drove away in new or slightly used vehicles. One vehicle stolen was on May 21, 2020, when Rasmussen took out a $48,500 loan using the fake ID of a New Jersey man.
Identification fraud, using inaccurate or fraudulent identification documents such as fake IDs being used at Auto Dealers, is common in the automotive industry. That’s why we urgently recommend considering a system to allow you to check the validity of personal documents presented to an auto-dealership, such as our TokenWorks IdentiFake system, available at IDScanner.com. With features including the ability to check over 60 different document models, including blue light, white light, holographic accuracy, and other forensic checks ensure that operators can be confident in the quality and accuracy of identification documents they receive to make business decisions.
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