Archive for September 2014

Identity thieves find a new way to dupe victims COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.- WINK News uncovers a new twist on identity theft. Thieves are stopping your mail and we found out why. It happened to a Naples man and now detectives say you need to watch out. “It is a hassle,” said Captain Rod Bishop with…

Protect yourself against identity theft More than 13 million Americans were victims of identity-theft fraud last year. The number of victims has increased by half a million people since 2012. Today, thievery takes many forms, including credit card fraud, false credit applications, fraudulent bank withdrawals, and Social Security and medical care fraud. Victims’ losses totaled…

1 convicted, 2 sentenced in separate South Florida identity theft-tax fraud cases MIAMI — One man has been convicted and two others sentenced to prison in the latest round of South Florida identity theft and income tax fraud cases. Authorities say Miami and surrounding cities have long led the nation in this type of fraud.…

Florida is fertile territory for crooks making counterfeit credit cards WASHINGTON— The hottest scam in Florida, growing across the state and spreading nationwide, is the mass production of counterfeit credit cards embedded with account numbers of unwitting consumers. Always looking for new ventures, some of the same rings of Florida identity thieves long engaged in…

Several FAMU Students Fall Victim of Identity Theft Scheme Tallahassee, FL (WTXL) — Five people are indicted in an identity theft scheme, the victims being several Florida A and M University students, along with more than a hundred others. The indictment alleges that for tax years 2010 and 2011, five defendants were part of a…

Dumped mortgage documents in Centennial may have been in storage CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Boxes and boxes of sensitive mortgage documents may have been left in storage, and someone decided to get rid of them by dumping them outside a building, according to a family member of the former operator. “My stepmother died five years ago,”…

Five accused in ID theft ring that stole $850,000 ALBANY — An identity theft ring that used bank tellers to steal more than $850,000 from hundreds of customers, including some in Newburgh, has been brought down, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Tuesday. An indictment was unsealed Tuesday in Westchester County, charging five defendants —…

Danger in your dustbin One of the easiest ways for fraudsters to get details to conduct ID fraud is by rummaging through documents that a company does not dispose of properly, says GIANMARCO LORENZI. Businesses that fail to effectively dispose of documents containing personal details of customers and employees are placing these stakeholders at an…

Former TD Bank employee, conspirator sent to prison for identity theft scheme WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — A former employee at a TD Bank branch in Palm Beach County and a co-conspirator are going to prison for operating an identity theft scheme. A federal judge on Thursday sentenced 32-year-old Tenisha Francis of Lake Worth to…

Defendant Sentenced to Prison for Theft of Government Property and Aggravated Identity Theft TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today that Porscha Thomas, 29, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mark Walker to serve 45 months in federal prison. Judge…