Emma WestRasmus reports: “What was the name of your first pet? What’s your favorite color? What’s your mother’s maiden name?” We all know the drill. Whenever we start a new account we are prompted for answers to challenge questions that will surely be easy to remember. But for more than two dozen students at the…
Category: ID Theft
Former UJA Federation employee sentenced for role in massive fraud ring
Following up on one of 55 individuals involved a insider fraud ring, one of those involved – an employee at UJA Federation who was charged in December 2011- has been sentenced to at least six years in prison for her role in the scheme. You can read more on The New York Post. At the…
Phony Craigslist ads fueled ID theft/tax refund scheme
Timothy Bolger reports: A Rockville Centre woman has admitted stealing 250 identities in 30 states, taking more than $75,000 from her victims and fraudulently requesting over $500,000 in New York State income tax refunds. Susan Pemberton pleaded guilty Wednesday at Nassau County court to grand larceny, scheme to defraud, offering a false instrument for filing…
Feds arrests dozens in ID theft-tax fraud takedown in South Florida
How big a problem is ID theft/tax refund fraud? Well, the government says it’s to the tune of $5.2 billion. In human terms, here’s some interesting stats: Among major U.S. cities with the most fraud-related tax filings: Tampa (88,724 returns, with refunds of $468,382,079); Miami (74,496 returns, with refunds of $280,509,449) and Atlanta (29,787 returns,…
AU: 23,000 Australians had their tax file numbers compromised last year
For perspective, given the massive tax refund fraud/ID theft in the U.S. Isabelle Oderberg reports: Over 23,300 Australians had their tax file number compromised in the 2012 financial year, according to data from the Australian Taxation Office, up from 22,000 last year. “Certainly, the delay in many tax refunds is because they have to go…
Marine pleads guilty to federal identity theft fraud
Wayne K. Roustan reports: 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 Miami, plotted with Dorothy…