August 31, 2005 -- VANCOUVER -- An identity-theft ring uncovered by Langley RCMP targeted at least 500 people in the greater Vancouver area, officials say.

The alleged fraudulent activity was discovered before any personal or financial harm was carried out, police said yesterday.

Two unidentified women from Langley and Surrey were arrested on the morning of July 24 after staff at a Langley motel notified police the pair had attempted to use a stolen credit card to pay for a room.  Police said more than 1,000 items were recovered in the raid, including $200,000 in stolen cheques, income tax forms, false credit cards, stolen bank and credit cards, two computers used to run credit- card numbering programs and a stolen vehicle.

"It is apparent that the suspects gained access to a large number of these items through mail theft," Langley RCMP spokeswoman Corporal Diane Blain said at a press conference. She said the investigation is continuing and charges will be formally laid next month, adding that the pair could be charged with possession of stolen property and fraud and possibly face forging charges.

Some of the identification and credit information police recovered belonged to Langley resident Cathy Albert, 44, and her family. Ms. Albert had reported her purse stolen from her car last October. "When I left the car in the parking lot, I hummed and hawed and thought 'nothing is going to happen,' " Ms. Albert said. "I went into the sports complex nearby to collect my son for five minutes, came back and found my car broken into and my purse stolen. I realized at that the thieves must have been watching me leave my car."  She said she missed a day of work to cancel the identification and credit cards in the purse, but not before the thieves used one of the cards at a gas station. "I'm relieved that my kid's birth certificates will be returned to us," Ms. Albert said.

Keeping mail secured in locked boxes and not leaving wallets or purses unattended can help prevent identity theft, Cpl. Blain said. Davinder Jandu, a manager at the motel where police found the items, said the two women rented a room on July 23, under a name different from the name on the credit card provided for payment.  "We ran a pre-authorization for the room, and that's when we realized that there was a problem with the credit card," Ms. Jandu said.

"The guest trying to check in said that the card had worked at a gas station shortly before they arrived, and because we had more people checking in at the time, we agreed to give them a room and take payment later."

She said the night auditor noticed the contradiction with the guest name and credit card information late at night, and contacted the credit-card company.  She said employees at the motel are trained not to accept third-party credit cards from customers unless that party is present to provide authorization.

Mark Warawa, the Conservative MP for Langley, attended the press conference and said Langley is one of the worst areas in the country for mail theft and that most people affected are unaware their mail has been stolen.

Canada Post officials estimate 2,100 mail thefts have been reported in Canada this year, with 1,700 in British Columbia and 247 in Langley alone.

"This is a serious problem which is fueled by the drug trade, and I want to make sure that identity theft is punished with maximum sentencing and that these crimes are treated by the justice system seriously," Mr. Warawa said.  He said he intends to draft a bill this fall to impose tough penalties on identity thieves.