SURREY RCMP have charged a man with fraud-related offences after he produced a stolen identification card during a traffic stop.

On October 10, shortly after 9 p.m., a member of the Surrey RCMP Community Response Unit conducted a traffic stop with a suspicious vehicle in the area of 107th Avenue and Old Yale Road. During the stop, the driver allegedly produced a stolen driver’s license. The driver was arrested for obstruction for providing a false identity to the officer.

Further investigation of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of stolen credit card data, lock picks, demagnetization devices, and other items consistent with identify theft and fraud.

The driver was identified as 30-year-old Tyler Missen, and on October 11, he was charged with offences related to fraud, driving while prohibited, and breach of probation.

“The items we recovered in this traffic stop are more than just data or credit cards numbers; they represent victims of crime,” said Sgt. Stuart Gray of the Surrey RCMP Community Response Unit. “Identify theft can have a significant personal impact on victims, Surrey RCMP will continue to conduct targeted traffic enforcement, disrupting criminal activity in the city.”

Surrey RCMP recommend the following tips to prevent identity theft:

• Familiarize yourself with billing cycles for your credit and debit cards, as this information is of interest to thieves during mail thefts.
• Trash bins are a goldmine for identity thieves. Make sure you shred personal and financial documents before putting them in the garbage.
• Periodically check your credit reports, bank and credit card statements and report any irregularities promptly to the relevant financial institution and to the credit bureaus.
• When you change your address, make sure you notify the post office and your bank and credit card companies.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.