Police: SGF cab driver tried to steal identity after wallet left in taxi

Police say instead of returning a wallet that was left in his taxi, a Springfield cab driver held onto it for months and then used the ID cards to open a phony bank account.

Mohamed S. Elsaka, 31, was charged late last month with identity theft after police say he opened a bank account in the victim's name and established a line of credit with a limit of $18,000.

According to a probable cause statement, the victim left his wallet in Elsaka's cab in January of 2014.

Eleven months later, the statement says, the victim got a credit card in the mail that he knew nothing about.

The victim contacted the fraud department at U.S. Bank, and they placed holds on the account, the statement says.

The next day, on Dec. 30, Elsaka went to the U.S. Bank on East St. Louis Street in Springfield and tried to activate the debit card associated with the fraudulent account, according to the statement. Police were called to the bank, and Elsaka was arrested.

The statement says Elsaka was in possession of multiple IDs belonging to the victim.

Elsaka told police he found the victim's wallet in his cab and then months later used the IDs to set up the fraudulent account because he was struggling financially, according to the statement.

Elsaka told police he planned to pay off the account and close it after he found work, the statement says.

Elsaka has been released on his own recognizance. He does not have an attorney listed for this case.