Calgary police have charged five members of a local family following an investigation into car prowlings in Alberta and British Columbia and subsequent fraudulent credit card applications using personal information gathered in the thefts.

According to police, between March 2012 and October 2013, at least fifteen parked vehicles in Calgary, Banff and Invermere were targeted by thieves. The suspects in the thefts collected personal information from paperwork found inside the vehicles and applied for Home Depot credit cards using the vehicle owner’s name.

The ill-gotten credit cards were used to purchase Home Deport gift cards at store locations in:

  • Calgary
  • Edmonton
  • Red Deer
  • Airdrie
  • Okotoks
  • Cranbrook, B.C.

Advertisements for the sale of the Home Depot gift cards were posted on online sites at a discounted price. Officials with Home Depot Canada’s asset protection unit were alerted to the online postings and notified the Calgary Police Service.

The police investigation into the matter determined a group of Calgarians were responsible for 43 incidents. involving 19 victims of identity fraud, with a total estimated value of $56,000.

Calgary police have arrested and charged five people in connection to the identity fraud scheme:

Jennifer Marie Shepherd, 27, faces 77 charges including:

  • 29 counts of identity fraud
  • 31 counts of fraud under $5,000
  • 9 counts of laundering proceeds of crime
  • 8 counts of breach of recognizance

Andrew James Shepherd, 32, has been charged with:

  • 3 counts of identity fraud
  • 4 counts of fraud under $5,000
  • 4 counts of laundering proceeds of crime

52-year-old Carol Lee Shepherd faces the following charges:

  • 4 counts of identity fraud
  • 4 counts of fraud under $5,000
  • 2 counts of laundering proceeds of crime

50-year-old Darcy Frederick Shepherd has been charged with:

  • 3 counts of identity fraud
  • 4 counts of fraud under $5,000
  • 2 counts of laundering proceeds of crime

Sarah Anne Savoie, 30, faces:

  • 7 counts of laundering proceeds of crime

The five family members are scheduled to appear in court during the next two weeks in separate appearances.