June 25, 2025 Your Source for Brentwood News

Los Angeles Identity Theft Reports Hit Record High in 2022

LAPD data shows 130 percent increase in identity theft in City of Los Angeles

In 2022, the City of Los Angeles was hit with a surge of identity theft reports that had not been seen for years. According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), there were 19,852 identity theft reports in 2022, a 138 percent increase from the 8,335 cases reported in 2021. 

Law enforcement representatives believe one element contributing to this increase is thieves preying on recipients of electronic benefit transfers (EBT). EBT cards are used by low-income California residents to access funds for various state programs. Skimming devices have been placed over card readers at stores and banks to steal card numbers when the unsuspecting victim uses their card.

“Thieves are able to get information off the magnetic strip of the EBT card. Thieves then upload it to a ‘clone’ card,”  Captain Alfonso Lopez, the head of the LAPD’s Commercial Crimes division, told Crosstown

The LAPD recommends using contactless forms of payment and tap options whenever possible to reduce the risk of skimming. It should be noted, however, that EBT cards do not have a tap function or security chip.  Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed, however, that the California Department of Social Services pay $76.5 million over the next three years to heighten the security of EBT cards. 

According to the LAPD data on identity theft, the most heavily impacted communities are Westlake (860 reports), Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw (628 reports), Downtown (604) and Boyle Heights (592). These neighborhoods all have large populations of low-income residents—in eight of them, 30 percent of people have a median household income below $20,000. 

The LAPD also noted that identity thieves also tend to target multi-unit dwellings as they provide easy access to mailboxes that can contain personal materials used for identity theft.

“Thieves are getting people’s identification, and are able to work backward to get their information,”  Lopez told Crosstown

According to the data, women were the victim in nearly two-thirds of identity theft reports in 2022, up from 51.7 percent in the previous year.

in News
Related Posts

(Video) Food Fight: Chefs Join Forces to Raise Money to Protect Immigrant Families in Venice

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Estrano, Little Dynamite, Sunday Gravy, Kabob Senpai Answer the Call From Turk’s Pizza Party. Dave Turkel Put This Food Resistance...

Squatter-Plagued Beverly Grove Buildings Could Be Razed After Hazard Cleanup

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Demolition of Three Abandoned Apartments May Begin in Two Weeks Three abandoned apartment buildings in Beverly Grove may soon be...

From Westwood to DTLA, Angelenos March Against Military Escalation in Iran

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Protestors Rally at the Westwood Federal Building This Weekend Following President Donald Trump’s authorization of airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear-related...

LAPD Sergeant Killed Assisting Crash Victims on 405 Freeway in Brentwood

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Tragic Early-Morning Collision Claims Two Lives, Including Veteran Sergeant Two people, including an LAPD sergeant, were killed early Monday in...

Recent Homebuyer Down Payments Slip for First Time in Nearly Two Years

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

April’s Median Down Payment Fell as Buyers Lean Toward Lower-Cost Homes The median down payment made by U.S. homebuyers dropped...

Del Rey Affordable Housing Project to Rise on Former Charter School Site

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Community Corp., Local Faith Group Team Up to Build 122 New Apartments Plans are moving forward for a new residential...

Paris Hilton Buys Mark Wahlberg’s Beverly Park Mansion for $63.1M

June 22, 2025

June 22, 2025

The Heiress and Media Mogul Joins a Star-Studded Neighborhood Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum have purchased a high-profile estate...

A.O.C. Brentwood to Close After 16 Years on San Vicente Boulevard

June 22, 2025

June 22, 2025

Chef Goin and Styne Cite Unsustainably High Rent in Decision to Close  A.O.C. Brentwood, the acclaimed Westside outpost from James...

Brentwood Book Signing Explores Why Wolves Matter to Nature’s Balance

June 21, 2025

June 21, 2025

Children’s Author Karen B. Winnick to Appear June 22 at DIESEL, A Bookstore Children’s author and wildlife advocate Karen B....

Weekend Lane Closures on PCH in Malibu Could Snarl Summer Beach Traffic

June 21, 2025

June 21, 2025

Army Corps Work Triggers Weekend Closure on Pacific Coast Highway Motorists traveling along Pacific Coast Highway this weekend should prepare...

LA City Councilwomen Yaroslavsky and Jurado Call for Legal Action Against Federal Immigration Raids

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

City Motion Targets Alleged Unconstitutional Tactics, End Qualified Immunity for Fed Officers  City Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Ysabel Jurado introduced...

All Aboard to LAX: Metro Opens Game-Changing Transit Hub Ahead of Global Events

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

 New LAX/Metro Transit Center Comes Closer to Connecting Metro Directly to LAX The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)...

Princess Diana’s Largest Wardrobe Auction Set for Beverly Hills

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Over 200 Royal Garments to Hit the Auction Block for Charity More than 200 garments and royal artifacts, including the...

Queer Beauty Through the Ages: Getty Hosts Lecture on Greek Art’s Influence on LGBTQ Aesthetics

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Art Historian to Trace Homoerotic Imagery From Ancient Greece to Modern Queer Identity As part of its ongoing Pride Month...

Food Fight on the Venice Boardwalk: Chefs Stand Up for Immigrants with Food

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Turk’s Pizza Party Rallies Top Local Eateries for an Immigrant Rights Fundraiser In a bold display of culinary activism, Turk’s...