KENNER, La. (WVUE) – A Kenner detective may have stopped a widespread identity theft scheme by taking down a Russian-run website targeting Louisiana residents.

The investigation began in September when a wave of identical text messages sent phones across the state instructing recipients to visit a website and pay a $3.75 toll for allegedly driving on a road with Louisiana tax.

Kenner Police Detective Brad Ricke, who received one of those messages, says the scam was deceptive.

“It said you were driving on a Louisiana toll road and you had to go to this website to pay a $3.75 toll,” Ricke explained. “If you didn’t pay this fee, you would be fined $30.”

When Ricke visited the website, Geauxpass.info, he found what appeared to be an official site with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) logo. The website asked for personal information and credit card details, but Ricke, an experienced cybercrime investigator, suspected something was amiss.

“The only thing that worked on this website was the parts that collected your personal information. Name, email address, date of birth, phone number,” Ricke said. “Once we determined it was most likely fake, we contacted LA DOTD and spoke with the members there and they ended up confirming that it was indeed fake.”

He then alerted Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley, who encouraged him to pursue the case.

“It’s kind of like a mystery novel, so I said yeah, follow it and see where it goes,” Conley said.

In the past, when Kenner police discovered a scam like this, Ricke says the department would alert residents to be vigilant with their phones and finances. But beyond that, the police department was limited in what it could do.

Instead of issuing a warning himself, Ricke decided to work towards a complete shutdown of the operation.

“We needed to shut it down as quickly as possible,” Ricke said. “You want to lock him up so he’s not actively cheating anyone.”

He contacted the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

“We are a federal law enforcement agency and we conduct federal criminal investigations on a global scale,” commented Special Agent Jessica Zuppardo.

Zuppardo says the text Ricke received is a clear example of a scam.

“It’s a cyberattack that uses a fake text message to trick people into sharing sensitive information,” Zuppardo explained.

She believes he targeted people across the state and other parts of the country.

“I work with a lot of people who have out-of-state area codes and they get messages as well, but related to the state their area code is from,” Zuppardo said.

Federal investigators were able to determine that the website originated from a server in Russia. Finding the people responsible is not such an easy task.

“What can you do? Kenner PD can’t go to Russia and arrest anybody,” Ricke said.

However, he obtained a search warrant from a Jefferson Parish judge that allowed the fake website to be seized — an unprecedented move for the Kenner Police Department.

“I don’t know of any other local agencies that have done this before,” he continued.

Chief Conley acknowledged the groundbreaking nature of the case.

“It took me a while to understand what he was talking about. Then when he showed me the banner and said all the traffic was redirected to us to show it was a fraud, then he kind of sunk it in and I thought it was pretty good,” Conley said. “The judge called him and praised him because they had never seen anything like it before either. The work he’s done has actually saved citizens money and anxiety and going through the steps of basically getting your identity back if your identity is stolen.”

Cybersecurity expert Nam Nguyen says that while smishing scams are common, Kenner law enforcement’s response was exceptional.

“I was actually quite impressed that they found the right organization to report them, work together and take it down, I thought it was great.

Ricke and the department are now sharing their approach with neighboring law enforcement agencies.

“Many of the surrounding municipalities and sheriff’s offices have reached out to us to get some additional information, which we’ve been happy to share,” Conley said.

It might be small steps in this new frontier of cybercrime fighting, but Conley says, “Right now it’s like a hit and miss game, but who knows, eventually, maybe it will lead to other bigger seizures of other servers.” .

If you visited the fake Geaux Pass website and gave out your credit card information, investigators say you should monitor your personal information closely to make sure you haven’t been victimized and contact your local law enforcement agency to to file a report if you have .

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