HILLIARD, Fla. — A man accused of stealing over 100 people’s identities and trying to steal over 100,000 dollars is behind bars.
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office arrested 26-year-old Colin Wade Harris of Hilliard after a months-long investigation.
The investigation began in December 2025 after a victim reported a $100 check had been altered to $1,000 and deposited with the intended recipient’s name changed.
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Investigators say surveillance video from a local bank later identified Harris depositing the check using another person’s identity.
As deputies were conducting their investigation, they noticed a similar trend in fraud allegations being reported to their office.
“We found out later there were other victims that he was going to mailboxes, stealing mail, finding checks that had been sent to people. He would take those checks, change the name of the person it was being sent to and cash them,” said Sheriff Bill Leeper with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
In one case, detectives found pictures of 15 checks on Harris’ phone intended for the Family Heart Foundation, including one check for $175,000.
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In another case, investigators say the suspect stole the identity of a man who had just lost his mother and created a fake bank account under his name to cash annuity checks from the victim’s mother’s life insurance policy. One of those checks was for $35,000.
Investigators say Harris had stolen the identities of at least 109 people, many of them local, including one of a Nassau County Sheriff’s Deputy who had previously arrested him.
“There’s a lot of personal information that these…bots or something like that, that you can reach out to and they have all kind of information on people, that you pay cryptocurrency or something that’s not easily tracked and apparently get all the information you want,” said Sheriff Leeper.
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Sheriff Leeper has this message for people reading this story.
“Pay attention to your bank statements, credit card statements,” the Sheriff said. “If you see any suspicious activity, report it immediately.”
Harris is in the Nassau County jail without bond.
The Sheriff says this case is active and ongoing. If you believe you may be a victim, call the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office immediately.
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