A Long Beach woman was arrested Friday in connection to burglary, identity theft and stolen credit card charges in the city of Lake Elsinore, where authorities said there has been a rise in these types of thefts.

The identity theft victim reported their stolen credit cards to the Lake Elsinore Police Department (LEPD) officers at about 1:00PM on Friday, January 29, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) officials stated.

A Lake Elsinore police officer then received a call at about 3:00PM from a local merchant who advised him the suspect attempted to use a stolen credit card.

Officers responded to the 18000 block of Collier Avenue where they located Kristy Gamble, 28, with the stolen property from the earlier burglary and items bought from local stores using the victim’s credit cards, according to authorities.

Gamble was arrested and booked for burglary, identity theft and stolen credit card charges.

“As a result of the rise in thefts of this nature in the Lake Elsinore area, officers have successfully networked with local merchants to readily identify persons and groups committing these types of crimes,” a release stated. “As a result of this networking, merchants and law enforcement are immediately communicating with each other when a suspected thief is targeting a given area.”

Anyone with additional information is urged to call Riverside County Sheriff’s dispatch at 951.776.1099, or the Lake Elsinore Police Department at 951.245.3300.

Above, left photo courtesy of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.