Economic Crimes Unit

APD Economic Crimes Unit

The Economic Crimes Unit (ECU) investigates fraud-related offenses including: 

  • forgery,
  • credit/debit card abuse,
  • fraudulent use or possession of identifying information,
  • counterfeit merchandise,
  • certain computer crimes.

ECU is an investigative unit within the Special Investigations Section operationally under the Central Investigations Division. The ECU consists of one administrative assistant, three detectives, one civilian investigator, and it is supervised by a sergeant.

ECU also houses the Digital Forensics Lab. Created in 1999, the Digital Forensics Lab is responsible for examining and processing electronic evidence that is collected from a wide variety of investigations.

If the crime is in progress, call 911. Otherwise, you can generate a report for Identity Theft by calling 817-274-4444. When generating your report, make sure you have all of your documents available so you can include transaction dates, times, locations, and any other pertinent information regarding how your identity was used fraudulently.

Please save all documents related to your case. Your report will be reviewed and if it is determined there is sufficient information available to proceed with an investigation, you will be contacted by an investigator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Someone has written me a check that has returned NSF or closed account. What should I do?

The Arlington Police Department does not investigate these offenses. These are referred directly to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office at: Tarrant County DA Hot Check Site.

I represent a business and want to report a forged check or credit card abuse that occurred at my place of business in Arlington. What should I do? (Note: This does not apply to internal employees using company checks or credit cards for personal gain.)

This report will be taken over the phone or by an officer in person.
Complete the forgery credit card abuse self report form and mail or deliver it to the address listed on the form. Please provide us with all the documents related to the offense, a full narrative describing the events and how the suspect was identified if applicable. Include a disk with the video of the transaction if captured by video surveillance and notate the time frame of the transaction on the disk. Incomplete reports will not be processed. We will contact you with a report number once the report is entered.

I am a victim of ID theft. What should I do?

If you are an Arlington resident or your information has been used fraudulently in the city of Arlington you should make a police report with us by calling 817-274-4444. Upon completing your offense report with the Arlington Police Department, you should refer to the Financial Crimes Victim's Packet that will offer you assistance dealing with creditors and initiating a fraud report with the credit bureaus. Those who desire investigative follow-up, shall complete the complaint form inside the packet and deliver the completed form and supporting documents to the location listed in the packet for review by investigators.

I am a victim of tax refund ID theft. What should I do?

Please follow the guidelines and prevention strategies at the IRS link below as certain forms must be filed with the IRS. If you determine other types of identity theft have occurred resulting from your stolen identifying information, then you may make a police report. Otherwise, if you are only reporting Tax Refund Fraud, you will be referred directly to the IRS.

Someone has written checks on my checking account without my permission. What do I do?

Immediately contact your bank in order to close the account and file a police report for forgery with us if the checks were passed in Arlington. Your checks may have been stolen or someone may have created counterfeit checks using your bank account and routing numbers. Please work with your bank to provide specific information when and where your check was passed; provide witness and suspect information if known and the name and contact number for the bank investigator if one has been assigned.

Someone has used my credit card/debit card without my permission. What do I do?

Immediately contact your credit card company in order to close the account and file a police report for credit card/debit card abuse with us if the transaction occurred in Arlington. You may also make a police report with us if you are an Arlington resident and your card was used online. The Arlington Police Department will consider an investigation of these offenses only when the entity that suffers the financial loss desires prosecution.

I am the victim of an Internet scam, for example, I have purchased or sold an item through an online classified advertisement website and later realized I was scammed. What do I do?

You should file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a central repository for Internet-related crime coordinated by the National White Collar Crime Center and the FBI. The IC3 forwards complaints to the Arlington Police Department when it appears the fraudulent activity is occurring in Arlington. Since the suspects involved in these types of crimes are often overseas and typically use fictitious names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, the Arlington Police Department is very selective determining which complaints to investigate. You may also file a complaint with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) at the following link: Federal Trade Commission Fraud Report

I believe my computer, phone, tablet, etc. has been hacked or has a virus. What do I do now?

There is no way to protect the data stored on your computer 100%, so taking additional steps is wise.

  • Make sure your electronic device has the most recent and up to date anti-virus/anti-malware software and conduct a scan of the computer. Sometimes the best anti-virus programs can not remove the virus and therefore requires a re-install of the operating system to guarantee the virus is removed. Prior to doing this, it is recommended important files are backed up to an external storage device, like a USB thumb drive or CD/DVD recordable media. A credible computer repair business can also provide these services.

  • Be cautious of emails or text messages from unknown senders. Legitimate business emails will NEVER ask for personal identifying information and/or logins and passwords. Do not open email attachments from senders you do not know. If you believe your electronic device has been compromised, immediately remove it from the network and/or internet.

  • You can consider encrypting important files; if the computer is maliciously accessed then the files will not be readily viewable. Many of the current operating systems offer free encryption programs.

  • If you believe your personal information was compromised from the hack or virus program then you should change all account passwords and monitor your accounts for fraudulent activity (also see annual credit report in additional useful information). If fraudulent activity is noticed, then contact the Arlington Police Department to file an offense report.
    Ultimately, awareness is the most important deterrent to viruses and computer hacks.

Financial Crimes Victim's Packet

For individuals reporting identity theft and/or credit card fraud or check fraud on their personal accounts, call APD at 817-274-4444 to obtain a fraud report first and then click here to download our Financial Crimes Victim's Packet.

Self-report form for Businesses

Arlington businesses that discover a fraudulent credit card transaction or a forged check that was presented at their respective business should complete a self-report form and deliver it to the Economic Crimes Unit.

If your company's credit cards or checks were used fraudulently do not use this form; call 817-274-4444 to make a report.

Click here to download the Forgery/Credit Card Abuse Self Report Form for Businesses.

Contact Us

Arlington Police - Economic Crimes Unit - 817-459-530