Police seek suspect in bank scam attempts

Clark County sheriff's deputies are seeking a woman suspected in a possible identity theft and bank scam.

The suspect on consecutive days tried unsuccessfully at the Salmon Creek branch of Washington Mutual Bank to get a cash advance on a credit card, authorities said. In both cases, the woman gave bank employees an "800" phone number, but the person who answered is thought to be part of the scam.

Sgt. Craig Hogman, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said the woman who visited the bank Wednesday and Thursday used a California driver's license to identify herself.

The bank staff described the woman as "very smooth," Hogman said, but as the confirmation call dragged on, she became curt and nervous. He said several comments and actions by the woman alerted the staff, including her reciting the credit card's customer-service phone number from memory. "How many of us can do that without looking at the card?" Hogman asked.

She grew impatient and left.

Hogman said the woman, described as 5 feet tall and 200 pounds, got into a new, red Pontiac with Utah plates and drove away. Officers tracked the license to a car rented Wednesday at Portland International Airport and returned to the rental agency Thursday, the same day the second bank withdrawal failed.

He said the name used to rent the car "is believed to be fictitious" -- that of figure skater Michelle Kwan.

The Sheriff's Office has asked for the public's help in identifying the suspect. Anyone recognizing the woman can contact Deputy John Horch at 360-397-6079.

Hogman said he has not heard of another bank being scammed by the woman, "but they may not realize it yet."

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.