May 2009 News Archive

May 27, 2009

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Eighteen charged in NY bank fraud, ID theft scheme

Prosecutors in New York said on Wednesday they have indicted 18 people for operating a bank fraud and identity theft scheme that resulted in the cashing of more than 1,000 counterfeit checks at several large banks. ...read full article

Guilty Pleas in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Fraud and Identity Theft Charges

BATON ROUGE, LA—United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced today that ROBERT THOMPSON, the leader of a massive identity theft and bribery scheme, pled guilty this afternoon before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ralph E. Tyson to charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, computer fraud, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. One of his co-conspirators, CHARLENE B. JACKSON, also pled guilty this afternoon before Judge Tyson to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. ...read full article

May 22, 2009

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Former Bank Teller Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft

PHILADELPHIA—Lauren W. Arnold, 21, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to stealing the identifying information of Wachovia Bank customers while she worked there as a teller, in 2008, announced United States Attorney Laurie Magid. Arnold sold the customer names, addresses, social security numbers, dates of birth, drivers’ license numbers, and account balances, to a third party. The third party enlisted others and the information was used to negotiate fraudulent checks in the customers’ names and to make unauthorized withdrawals from the customers’ accounts. Arnold pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. The total intended loss to Wachovia Bank was over $270,000. ...read full article

May 19, 2009

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Don't let ID thieves hijack your job hunt

Scammers increasingly are targeting job seekers; here are 6 ways to protect yourself.

Let's say you've been job hunting for months now, and applied to so many employers you're starting to lose track of them all. One day you get a call from someone in HR at a well-known company. He found your resume on an online job board, thinks it's very impressive, and is looking forward to meeting you, he says. To set up the interview, he asks for your home address, date of birth and Social Security number. Odds are, you give him the information, even if it seems a bit strange. After all, this person could end up offering you a job, and you don't want to seem difficult to work with. And odds are, you'll never hear from him again, or the company he claimed to represent -- but, within a day or two, he'll have opened half a dozen credit cards in your name, maxed them out, and created an enormous mess it could take you years to straighten out. ...read full article

May 12, 2009

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Cops: Sales clerk surrenders in credit-card number thefts

A 22-year-old sales clerk turned herself in to Sheriff's personnel after purchasing more than $15,000 with stolen credit card numbers, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department news release. ...read full article

May 11, 2009

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ATMs on Staten Island rigged for identity theft; bandits steal $500G

A band of brazen thieves ripped off hundreds of New Yorkers by rigging ATMs to steal account and password information from bank customers. ...read full article

Dublin man gets house arrest for theft scheme

A Dublin man who was a high-school senior when he was arrested in an identity-theft scheme was sentenced to six months of house arrest and three years of probation in U.S. District Court in Beckley, W.Va., today. ...read full article

May 1, 2009

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East Boston Man Sentenced in Identity Theft, Credit Card Fraud Ring

Boston, MA—An East Boston man was sentenced yesterday for his role in a scheme to steal credit cards from health club locker rooms and take more than $350,000 in cash advances at horse race tracks in at least 10 states. ...read full article