Another Mobile ID Theft Crew Busted; Walnut Creek Residents Allegedly Involved

Two Walnut Creek residents were arrested at a Novato hotel with credit cards and financial information allegedly stolen from dozens of victims in Novato and the East Bay, according to a story published Tuesday in the Marin Independent Journal.

Samantha Ann Surls, 30, and Michael Allen Whalin, 23, were booked into Marin County Jail on suspicion of identity theft, forgery, fraud and other counts. Their bail was set at $100,000, the Journal reported.

Investigators told the newspaper they were called to the America’s Best Value Inn on Redwood Boulevard in Novato after witnesses reported a man taking items from cars in the parking lot. Police were directed to the suspect’s room, where they allegedly found Surls and Whalin in possession of identification, bank cards, checks and credit cards belonging to dozens of people from Novato, Walnut Creek and Concord.

The arrest follows a Lafayette police raid on a similar crew working from a hotel room in Lafayette earlier this month.