Houston, TX. – “Fraud is on the rise here in Houston,” and one particular woman is part of the reason why, according to Sergeant Darren Schlosser with the Houston Police Department’s Auto Theft Division Vehicle Fraud Unit.
KPRC 2 first told you about Diamond Jones back in July of last year when she joined a growing list of serial fraudsters accused of using fake identities to buy high-end vehicles from Houston area dealerships.
This year, she was back on their radar.
“This year in June, we saw another I.D., and I immediately recognized that face,” Schlosser said.
Jones is now back in jail, re-arrested on Nov. 7, 2022, on outstanding warrants after police said she bought two vehicles with a stolen identity in August worth $100,000. This time using an I.D. with the name Bayley.
“Many of the fraudsters we deal with are serial fraudsters. But she did quite a bit of fraud in a very short amount of time,” Schlosser said.
If you’re wondering how this impacts you, police say it’s because of crooks like Jones, that you might be paying more, if you’re in the market for a new car.
“The more fraud that’s committed, the higher the prices go. The prices of vehicles go up, the price of insurance goes up. everything is directly related to fraud,” Schlosser said.
Last Year, according to Experian, the Federal Trade Commission received nearly 6,000,000 reports of fraud from identity theft, a 19% increase from the year before. With financial losses topping $6.1 billion, an increase of more than 77% compared with 2020.
“The two vehicles that she purchased here recently after having previously disposed of her other cases, I would hope that courts would look at her a little harsher this time than last time,” Schlosser added.