Meth addicts targeting vehicle registration, insurance cards

According to data from New Mexico's Attorney General's Office, New Mexico ranks seventh in the nation in terms of the prevalence of identity theft, ABQ Journal reports. Recently, there has been a preponderance of cases involving methamphetamine addicts who have held up vehicles in an attempt to swindle registration and insurance cards, KASA-TV notes. There have been approximately six recorded cases of theft in recent days in the Huning Castle neighborhood. Steven Sink of the Albuquerque Police's crime prevention unit tells the news source that addicts are heading straight for the glove compartment. "They can steal your identity by taking the registration and insurance out of your glove box - two things that are mandatory by state statute that you have to have in your vehicle," said Sink. He added that if meth users steal a person's identity, they can use credit card information to obtain funds for an extended period of time without providing actual identity authentication. In the past, New Mexico has hosted Meth Awareness Day to educate people and offer materials on scams and identity theft, according to the website for the state's Office of the Attorney General.