Posts by Sean Fredricks

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…

Students at identity theft risk Amanda DioGuardi had her identity stolen two years ago. When she started receiving emails from AARP, her father looked into her credit score. “Someone was able to sign my name on a mortgage even though I was only 16 at the time,” the 18-year-old public relations sophomore said. More and…

Florida officials: Monitor finances after Home Depot breach Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi warned today that Home Depot customers should be alert to fraud following disclosures of a possible data breach. “I encourage all consumers to closely monitor their credit and debit card accounts to ensure that there are no unauthorized charges,” Bondi said in…

Whether you’re a florist or a lawyer, shred documents Regardless of how innocuous a document may seem, all business owners are being warned to shred all paper-based confidential documents ahead of National Identity Fraud Awareness Week (October 12-18). Spokesman for the campaign, Zach Pote, said documents containing personal and financial information can provide fraudsters with…