Fairfax County police have charged a 47-year-old New York man with nine criminal offenses. He is Kevin Downs of 320 Clairmont Ave., No. 3, in Brooklyn. Police say he allegedly opened credit accounts in other people's names at several stores in Fair Oaks Mall.
They arrested him Saturday, Nov. 26, at the mall, around 3:30 p.m. He was charged with three counts each of fraud, forgery and identity theft. According to police, when they arrested Downs, he reportedly had in his possession a number of fraudulent driver's licenses bearing his own photo and many other people's personal information.
They say he also allegedly had a number of stolen credit cards and counterfeit credit cards. And further investigation, say police, allegedly revealed that over the Thanksgiving weekend, Downs had operated a kiosk at Potomac Mills Mall.
There, police say he'd "handed out teddy bears and blankets in exchange for people filling out credit-card applications." (Downs operates a company which may have authorization to solicit credit applications).
Police are urging anyone who may have filled out a credit-card application at that kiosk to closely monitor their credit history and consider putting a "fraud" alert on their credit file. Report any irregularities to the local police department. In Fairfax County, call 703-691-2131.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Nov. 28 — two days after he was arrested — Downs was released from the Adult Detention Center on $18,000 bond. He has a Dec. 28 court date.