KPTV - FOX 12Portland police arrest man who claimed to be ID theft victim

Identity theft investigators with the Portland Police Bureau say an 18-year-old man who claimed to be the victim of ID theft was nothing more than a con.

Police arrested Taylor Brittain-McAuliffe on Wednesday morning at his grandmother's Miliukien home.

In late September, investigators say, he filed a police report and claimed someone was using his credit union debit card to make unauthorized purchases at local Fred Meyer stores.

When police pulled surveillance video, they were able to identify the man in the pictures as Anthony Miller, investigators say.

Miller was making small purchases at Fred Meyer using cash back, according to police.

Miller and Brittain-McAuliffe knew each other, investigators say, and Brittain-McAuliffe likely gave Miller his PIN for the debit card.

Miller, who has a tattoo on his left arm that reads "Forged Luxury," has been convicted for forging documents and identity theft, according to court documents obtained by FOX 12.

When officers arrested Miller on Oct. 6, they say they found all the material needed to produce fake checks.

Brittain-McAuliffe was passing fake payroll checks at local stores, investigators say, and the checks were made on home computers and printers.

According to Portland police, Fred Meyer investigators told officers that Miller and Brittain-McAuliffe have likely cost the company more than $30,000 because of the phony transactions.

People who answered the door at Brittain-McAuliffe's home Thursday afternoon declined to comment. His family did not return phone calls seeking comment.

FOX 12 also stopped by Miller's last known address. But the person living there said Miller was only staying at the duplex temporarily and he said he did not know about the charges Miller is facing.

Both suspects have been charged with several felonies.

Brittain-McAuliffe is due back in court in two weeks. A trail date for Miller has been set for November.

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