News

Actions

Grandmother says suspect charged with stealing her identity lives next door

Posted at 11:36 PM, Nov 19, 2012
and last updated 2012-11-21 07:02:18-05

Spotsylvania County court records indicate the suspect in an identity scam lived right next door to her alleged victim, a 75-year-old grandmother who says she feels duped after trusting Crystal Nestor.

Nestor is the neighbor that deputies arrested for identity theft and grand larceny.  But the victim says it's a crime that would've gone undetected, if it weren't for an alert mail carrier.

Moonlight illuminated the home next door to a 75-year-old grandma Monday who asked CBS 6 not to use her name and to disguise her voice.

"When I moved here, I wasn't the least bit afraid, but now I'm not so sure," she said.

She found out last Friday that someone had stolen her identity.   That was when she got a bill from a catalog company for $830.64.

"My neighbor would bring my mail in occasionally. That was my mistake, I guess."

Deputies made a few phone calls and found that Cystal Nestor's name was attached to the account.  The 39-year-old suspect lives right next door to the victim.

"She obtained catalogs from her mailbox and used the victim's information to make purchases," said Spotsylvania County Capt. Mike Harvey.

Investigators believe Nestor used her neighbor’s address and information to establish a line of credit with the catalog company, and then purchased items such as jewelry, a jacket, even an electric fireplace.  All but one of the items was recovered from a trash can beside the suspect’s trailer home on Graningers Circle which Monday was covered with yard debris.

"We are looking into see if she's done this in the past, but so far it looks like this is a crime of opportunity," said Harvey.

And the opportunity?  The victim says she thinks it was easy, saying her neighbor knew she had recently suffered a stroke and needed help. Deputies and the victim both say, if it weren't for the alert mailman-it could've been worse.

"The bill had my name on it, but my neighbor’s address.  But he knew I live here, so he put it in my box," she said.

The original bill was $881 dollars and some change, so someone made a payment before the victim saw the bill.  Deputies are working to find out if there could be more than one victim.

It's a story they hope serves as a reminder to our viewers and readers:  always check your statements.