Paper Shredding News

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…

3 held in ID thefts from Apollo Elementary employees Three people suspected of being a part of an organized theft ring in north Brevard County face charges with making thousands of dollars in purchases after investigators said they stole the identities of several current and former employees of Apollo Elementary School in Titusville. Brevard County…

Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office investigates identity theft Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal cautions all Washington Parish residents to be aware of identity thieves who are operating in the parish and surrounding areas. He said that even he and his wife have been victimized. “My wife and I recently received an unwelcome surprise from our bank,”…

Better Business: How to avoid being a victim of medical identity theft A Colorado man was upset when he received a hospital bill for $44,000 for surgery. The problem wasn’t the amount — it was that he’d never had surgery. An investigation determined that an ex-con had checked into the hospital and gotten an operation…

ID Theft Rings Install Card Skimmers Across Florida Florida’s dubious distinction as the number one state in the US for identity theft is unfortunately well-earned. The number of cases of identity theft reported here each year dwarfs the number of reports filed in most other states, and generally has a significant lead over whichever state…

Ex-Woodbury Financial execs enter mediation with former employer Minneapolis / St. Paul -The legal fight over the departure of three top managers from Woodbury Financial Services over allegations that they took confidential documents could wrap up quietly. The Star Tribune reports that the lawsuit filed by Woodbury Financial’s parent, the Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.,…

String of I.D. thefts strikes FL subdivision The Forest Lake Police Department last week used its Code Red system to alert residents in a Forest Lake subdivision of a lengthy string of identity thefts. As of Tuesday, 14 residents of the Summerfield development have reported a combined loss of nearly $100,000. Capt. Greg Weiss said…