Sheriff’s memo: Oak Park deputies handled 110 calls in January; fraud, theft and arson cases under investigation

Detective Tim Behrend summarized the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office January report for Oak Park, saying deputies responded to 110 calls for service and took 28 total reports: 10 crime reports and 18 incident reports. Detectives review incidents to determine whether follow-up investigation is required.

"During the month of January, deputies working the Oak Park Community responded to 110 calls for service. They took 28 total reports, 10 were crime reports and 18 incident reports," the memo states. The report said three forgery or fraud incidents were reported in November and December and are under investigation by the Financial Crimes Unit.

The memo described the fraud cases: one was a telephone scam in which a suspect claiming to be a bank representative elicited personal banking information; two others involved identity theft — one using a credit-card number for fraudulent charges and another using identifying information to open a fraudulent bank account. The sheriff’s office advised residents: "banks and other legitimate businesses will not ask you to provide your personal information such as social security numbers or bank information. Also, if you are asked to pay the subject on the phone by gift card or crypto currency this is a scam."

The report also noted a stolen vehicle taken from an apartment complex parking lot and an arson to a dwelling where the suspect admitted lighting a fire and was arrested; the arson case was filed with the district attorney’s office. The sheriff’s office encouraged the public to report suspicious people and vehicles by calling 911 or its nonemergency line.