West Palm woman, leader of identity theft ring, given 10-year sentence A 36-year-old West Palm Beach woman who was the the leader of an identity theft ring has been sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Monday. Prosecutors said Jennifer Robinson, 36, organized a scheme to steal the…

Florida worst for identity fraud for tax refunds MIAMI — Despite efforts by federal officials to crack down on identity theft linked to hundreds of millions of dollars of fraudulently claimed tax refunds, southern Florida continues to lead the nation in such scams. In the latest case, Freddie Howard, 56, of Davie, pleaded guilty on…

2 Florida men indicted in identify theft ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two Florida men are facing federal charges in Missouri of trying to collect more than $2 million in fraudulent federal income tax returns using hundreds of stolen identities. An indictment unsealed Wednesday accuses 24-year-old Terrell Langston of Tallahassee and 24-year-old Montrail Austin of Miami…

Keeping your identity safe during a move Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer — and for many Americans it’s the beginning of moving season. Indeed, summer is the busiest time for movers. College students are moving home for the summer or moving to campus for summer studies. Interns are moving into apartments. Families…

Clinic tries to link patients to lost medical records KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Two days after papers from a Kansas City women’s health clinic, including sensitive documents containing patient medical and financial information, were found blowing around near 63rd Street and Prospect Avenue, the clinic said it’s trying to determine whose records were lost. A passerby…

Former Palm Beach health clerk gets 2 years in federal prison for identity theft WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — A former senior clerk in the Palm Beach County Health Department has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for identity theft involving patient information. A federal judge imposed the sentence last week on 31-year-old…

Your junk mail trash is a thief’s treasure FORT MYERS, Fla. – We call it junk mail but too many people are finding out the hard way that thieves don’t consider it junk at all. They come in the mail everyday: pre-approved credit card offers, notices from your bank or car loan provider. Do you…

Cops: South Florida Man Uses Victim’s Identities To Cash In Their IRS Refunds BOCA RATON, Fla. – A South Florida man is heading to federal prison in a big Internal Revenue Service fraud case. Prosecutors say 26-year-old Brandon James of Miami got 81 months in prison. They say he was lining his pockets, criss-crossing South…

Florida Man Gets Five Years in Prison for Identity Theft Andrew Ware, 27, of Lauderhill, Fla., was recently sentenced to 70 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for his involvement in a stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) and access device fraud scheme. Ware previously pled guilty to one count…

Online identity theft on the rise, survey says SEBRING – Online identity theft appears to be affecting more Americans, according to a January 2014 Pew Research Center survey. Almost one in five online adults has reported theft of personal information, such as Social Security numbers and credit card or bank account information, the survey says,…