Owners Of Montco HVAC Company Feel The Heat In Alleged ID Theft Scam
By Jim Melwert
FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. (CBS) --- The owners of a Montgomery County HVAC company are facing charges of using stolen identities to steal more than $100,000.
Eric Martin and Portia Martin own Centra-Spike Incorporated in Fort Washington. According to investigators, they stole the identities of at least 8 people and used that information to apply for loans.
That money, police say, totaled $124,000, which went into their business account, then to their personal accounts.
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman says it was an alert consumer who saw a bill and took it to Upper Dublin police.
"You get a bill, you know it's not yours, it's really easy to just toss it out, or just to call the company and square it up with them and never contact the police," Ferman says. "But by reaching out to the police, he was able to uncover for us in law enforcement, this entire scheme."
Police say the victims are older and from across the region: Ambler, Wyncote, Elkins Park, Chester Springs, Hatboro and Norristown.
None of the victims ever did business with Centra-Spike, nor did they ever apply through the credit company that was used, Synchrony Bank. It's not clear yet how the pair got the personal information, and investigators are still looking for more potential victims.
Police are looking for the two suspects. They have multiple addresses in Philadelphia, including on the 900 block of East Johnson Street, the 1900 block of West 68th Avenue, and the 7100 block of Georgian Road. Investigators say they may also have links to Waldorf, Maryland.
