COLLEGE STATION, Texas — An Odessa man has been arrested in College Station and accused of stealing the identities, social security number and financial information of several people.
Edward Hall, 34, is charged with fraud and possession of identifying information as well as unlawful use of a criminal instrument.
College Station officers, who were following up on an ongoing criminal investigation, stopped Hall in the 6200 block of Fourwinds Drive in Bryan. Hall allegedly allowed officers to search his truck and its contents, including a backpack that was in the vehicle.
Officers said they found several gift cards in the center console. They said people often use gift cards to put stolen credit card information on them.
Officers said they found a laptop computer, a USB magnetic stripe read and write device and blank check stock paper inside the backpack. They said they also found notebooks with handwritten notes including bank names, account and routing numbers and credit card information of individuals.
Officers said they also found several documents with financial information belonging to people who were not known to Hall. Investigators said they later contacted the people who were listed in the notebooks and found at least one of those people whose information Hall allegedly had was dead. All of the living victims said they did not give Hall permission to have their information.
Hall is currently in the Brazos County Jail on $250,000 bond.
