Posts by Sean Fredricks

Five suspects in ID-theft ring jailed in Broward A ring of five identity thieves who stole and negotiated the sale of more than 6,000 victims’ personal information is now behind bars, authorities said Wednesday. With the help of a confidential informant, the Broward Sheriff’s Office in December began an undercover sting, dubbed Operation Shark Tank,…

2 Miami officers face identity theft charges MIAMI — Two Miami police officers were arrested Thursday on federal charges related to identity theft and tax-refund fraud. Malinsky Bazile, 28, and Vital Frederick, 26, are among 11 Miami police officers relieved of duty in recent months who face potential criminal charges or the loss of their…

Top Secret Service agent helps kick off cyber-crime campaign in South Florida It was no secret why the top boss at the U.S. Secret Service was in South Florida to talk about electronic-based crimes such as identity theft and credit-card skimmers. The region has earned the distinction of being a motherboard of sorts in electronic…

Georgia ranked second in identity theft complaints Identify theft is on the rise in Georgia and the use of social media may be partly blamed for the spike. A recently released study by a group that researches consumer behavior and financial trends reports that unsafe use of social media has played a role in the…

California parks officials probe possible document destruction The California Department of Parks and Recreation is investigating whether crucial records were destroyed by officials at Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area, an off-roading park in the desert east of San Diego. Richard Stapler, a spokesman for the California Natural Resources Agency, which oversees the state parks…

Feds charge tech consultant with fraud, ID theft An information technology consultant accused of applying for credit cards and using stolen identities faces 29 counts of fraud and identity theft. A federal grand jury handed down an indictment against Michael Morton, formerly of Tampa and now living in Clearwater, according to the U.S. Attorney for…

Victims of identity theft get little help from IRS TAMPA — When Donna and James Miller tried to file their income tax return earlier this year, they learned they were part of a growing number of taxpayers whose identities were stolen for tax fraud. Someone had already used Donna Miller’s Social Security number to file…

Marine pleads guilty to federal identity theft fraud A 23-year-old U.S. Marine is looking at up to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges in an identity theft case that victimized fellow Marines stationed with him in Afghanistan, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer announced Wednesday in Miami. Jobson Cenor, of North…

Identity Thief Assumes Florida Man’s Life For 22 Years When Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Richard Blanco—a member of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in Jacksonville—interviewed an individual suspected of driver’s license fraud in 2011, he wasn’t initially sure if the man was the victim or the perpetrator of identity theft. That’s because the…

Keep Your Identity: Children’s Social Security numbers often more at risk than adults One year ago I wrote a column on children and identity theft. With the school year starting, it’s a good time to revisit that topic. While identity theft for all ages continues to be the No. 1 crime in the U.S., children…