Cheyenne police are warning the public about a recent rise in identity theft cases in which thieves are opening Sprint accounts in the victim's names to purchase cell phones.

"We're aware of at least 20 victims in Cheyenne," said Officer Kevin Malatesta. "They have no connection to Sprint, they didn't create these accounts, but their information was used to purchase items that they didn't order."

"We're trying to figure out whether it's local or whether this is a national data breach," Malatesta added. "So we have a survey that we've created and that will help our detectives to determine some sources of where that data information was leaked from."

The Sprint Fraud Survey, which can only be filled out if you've completed a police report, can be found under the NEWS link on the Cheyenne Police Department's website.

"Sprint is aware of this issue nationwide as well," said Malatesta. "People dealing with this issue can go to Sprint's website and complete a packet to get their information taken out of Sprint's databases."

Malatesta also urges anyone who thinks they may be a victim of identity theft to fill out a free credit report.

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