Innocently leaving a laptop, cell phone, storage device or any other item containing personal information unattended for a few minutes could mean a lot more than hundreds of dollars worth in lost property.
Since Oct. 16, there have been 21 reported cases of stolen personal and University belongings. Those belongings have included laptops, cell phones and other wallet related items that carry substantial amounts of personal information, according to police reports.
From those reported thefts, suspects stole more than $12,600 worth of personal belongings.
More than half of those belongings were stolen after owners left their items unattended. The rest were stolen after owners claimed they had taken security precautions.
Within the last 10 days, two University of Memphis students claimed to have been victims of identity thefts while another had her license plate stolen.
In one instance, Anna Lansford, a victim on March 18, reported to police that she received a call from her bank notifying her of strange activity on her card. Lansford noticed that there were several unauthorized charges made to her debit card, although she claimed to have used it last at the Tiger Den on March 15.
The next identity theft incident involving personal information drawn from credit cards or IDs came four days later. Jared Cox, the victim, reported to police that between mid-December and February someone used his name and social security number to open several credit card accounts. According to the police report, items were also purchased under Cox's name.
Similar series have happened in the past, but have not been rampant, according to University officials familiar with the matter. Officials added that in the broader scheme, identity theft goes beyond just what thieves find in wallets, cell phones or laptops.
"A couple times a semester we'd have an issue of someone taking a password," said Sue Holl-Toye, the director of client services in Information Technology.
Holl-Toye confirmed incidents involving the use of another student's TigerLAN account or University e-mail account is reported but are usually not incidental. She said close relationships between friends, boyfriends or girlfriends sometimes end, and those people unknowingly continue logging into the other accounts.
"My understanding of the situation in the past is that students may have or have shared a password," said Douglas Hurley, the director of IT.
Hurley added that those incidents are not usually committed by someone unbeknownst to the particular students because student accounts are "very well protected."
In other cases when a stranger commits the incident, the setting of the crime is usually in retail.
Derek Myers, the assistant director of public safety, said catching suspects in those situations could vary depending on how much retailers cooperate. However, he said that University retailers, such as the bookstores, "always cooperate" with campus police.
"If the store is not very cooperative, then you don't get very far," Myers said referring to ensuing identity theft investigations. "It really depends on the retailers to help us out."
Myers added that some incidents sometimes go to federal authorities. Two incidents, which took place within the last year, went to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Myers declined to comment any further on exactly what happened in each case, but said that in one incident last year there was a group of 13 suspects connected in a series of identity thefts.
"One of the victims came to us and said, 'Someone's opening up and using my accounts,'" he said.
