Bond has been denied for a 35-year old Buchanan woman who Haralson County deputies believe opened a number of fraudulent bank accounts and credit card accounts – using the names and information of close family members. Investigators believe other victims could be out there, and not yet know it.
According to the report from Investigator Jason Bowman, the suspect’s father had received a mail suggesting his account was overdrawn. The male victim—apparently—has never had a checking account, so he was confused with the notification. So, he called his son, and the two began reviewing financial documents. The two uncovered additional suspicious activity in the son’s records and in information attached to the initial victim’s juvenile grand daughter. The latter two victims live out of state. The two men suspected that family member Misty Michelle Hefner had used their information fraudulently, as they believed she was the only person who would have had access to some of the info.
Investigators say — so far, they believe the suspect illegally obtained over $1,500 dollars using information of the victims to open accounts. They believe she used at least four banks in the fraudulent activity.
Investigator Bowman has identified at least two more potential victims and found a fictitious business that Hefner allegedly used to open an account. He says, there could be additional victims not yet identified.
If anyone has any information or if they’ve seen Hefner’s name on fraudulent activity, please reach out to Inv. Bowman. This case is still an active and ongoing investigation.
Hefner has so far been charged with 5 counts of DEPOSIT ACCOUNT FRAUD (BAD CHECKS), 4 counts of IDENTITY THEFT FRAUD WHEN USING/POSSESSING IDENTIFYING INFO CONCERNING A PERSON, and one count of FORGERY – 1ST DEGREE.
To prevent your information from being used fraudulently, The Haralson County Sheriff’s Office advises that residents keep a check on credit scores – they are usually a good indicator when something is off.
Keep a check on your financial accounts, make sure all checks and charges are yours.
And, check your own mail, make sure financial account information is accurate and not from a fraudulent account.
