Cal Fizer, a Detroit resident who used fake 1-800 numbers to steal hundreds of credit card numbers and other personal identity information, has been sentenced to 70 months’ imprisonment on the charges of credit card fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The sentencing was announced (pdf) by Terrence Berg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case.
During the sentencing, Judge Battani noted that Mr. Fizer’s scheme put a dent in Black & Decker’s reputation and nearly destroyed the credit of hundreds of individuals across the country.
Information presented to the court indicated that Fizer defrauded hundreds of individuals nationwide by establishing false toll free telephone numbers under the names of the Black & Decker Corporation and its Dewalt Industrial Tool Company division in order to obtain customer credit card and identity information that he then used to order merchandise. Customers calling information for Black & Decker’s or Dewalt’s phone numbers would get the phony number. The fake numbers were answered by someone who represented himself as customer support and who would take their orders and credit card information. In some cases, Social Security numbers were also obtained.
From on or about May, 2003, to on or about September 2006, over 42,000 calls were made to at least twenty-six different toll free telephone numbers established by Cal Fizer.