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Friday February 22 07:39 PM EST Police: Ad In Newspaper Is Scam To Steal Identities Cleveland NewsNet5 In an ad placed in The Plain Dealer, there is a long list of pricey electronic equipment at unbelievably low prices. The seller claims everything must go, even a 2001 Lexus sport utility vehicle worth $39,000, to raise money for a child's operation, but it's a scam, authorities said. NewsChannel5 is On Your Side and warns that the ad is an attempt to steal your identity. Like many people, Terry Carey, a bargain hunter, said he would respond to the ad. "Yeah, I'd call just for the humor of it," Carey said. "Just to hear what the answer is going to be on the other side." In this case, police in Lakewood believe the ad is too good to be true. In fact, they believe the person placed the ad to gather personal information such as names, telephone numbers and Social Security (news - web sites) numbers to steal identities. Don Lissner, of the Lakewood Police Department, said that the ad is fraudulent. "I'm advising you those ads are fraudulent, and also those of you who have responded to the tutor and gave personal information, I request you contact detective Lissner." WEWS said that this is just one of many possible scams authorities are investigating. Officials said that stealing identifications is easier than robbing a bank. "Theft identification is skyrocketing," Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said. "It's not growing. It's skyrocketing. People are taking people's information, getting identification getting credit cards or using credit at a store and just ruining a real person's identification and who they are." There are ways to help guard against having your identity stolen. Here are a few tips:
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