A 34-year-old man from Donna, Texas, has been arrested after attempting to fraudulently secure home improvement loans worth $145,000 using stolen personal information. Reucindo Trigueros Jr. is charged with using the stolen identification of a woman he met while posing as a home security system salesman, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The scam came to light when Weslaco police were alerted by one of Trigueros’ victims, who had been notified by LifeLock, an identity theft protection service, that someone was trying to take out loans under her name through GoodLeap Finance.
The woman explained that Trigueros had visited her a month earlier, selling home security systems, during which she provided him with personal information, including her social security number. Later, on March 16, Trigueros contacted the woman again, instructing her to tell a visitor she knew a Donna woman as part of a referral program. The next day, a man claiming to be from First Choice Solar came to her home to verify her application for the home improvement loan, raising the woman’s suspicions and leading her to press charges.
Upon further investigation, the woman discovered that four loans had been attempted under her name—two for $55,000, one for $25,000, and another for $10,000. She was able to stop the loans before they were finalized.
The case also revealed another victim from Donna, who Trigueros had allegedly conned into applying for a $55,000 loan for roof repairs and air conditioner installation. This woman unknowingly co-signed a loan with another victim, a common tactic used by Trigueros to access multiple loans.
Both women identified Trigueros in a police photo lineup.
Additionally, Trigueros was implicated in another scam, stealing $800 from a Weslaco woman in December. After cold-approaching her about installing security cameras, he convinced her to send him money via Zelle for both the installation and a roof repair job for her relatives. He later asked for more money, claiming financial distress, but never completed any of the promised work.
Trigueros now faces multiple charges of fraud for using stolen identifying information.