Identity Theft Victims May Include Family Members

A 17-year-old from Colonie is accused of buying jewelry, concert tickets and taking a trip to Florida by using stolen credit cards and checks.

They were allegedly all from people that he knew including a person that he’s done some work for, his Godmother and aunt. Shawn Pettingell allegedly would steal credit card information or checks from people that he was visiting.

According to Colonie Police, he was in the victims homes, for legitimate reasons, and were all people that trusted him. The authorities have a fear that there may also be a couple of other victims, and are still investigating.

In the story from the Times Union, Pettingell has been charged with several felonies including Grand Larceny, Identity Theft, Possession Of A Forged Instrument and others. He is being charged as an adult.

From the story on News 10 ABC, Pettingell allegedly got a friend involved and convinced her to cash some of the stolen checks. According to authorities, she didn’t know that the checks were stolen.