ID THEFT NEWS: WEEKLY UPDATE

Fair Credit Reporting Act lawyers help identity theft victims. 

Over 12 million people an identity theft victim every year.  The harmful effects of identity theft are life changing and last a lifetime.  Victims may not even know their identity has been stolen until they receive debt collection calls for debts they do not owe.  Others may discover they are an identity theft victim after they are denied credit or turned down for a job.   credit or employment, or find credit report errors.    

What can consumers do to protect their identities and credit report? The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that provides identity theft victims with rights. Identity theft victims have the right to request two (2) free credit reports every 12 months and can place a fraud alert (90 day and extended 7 year) on their credit file.   

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) also gives victims of fraud or identity theft the right to dispute credit report errors.  Victims may have errors on their credit reports, such as incorrect accounts, names, public records, addresses, date of birth or inquiries.  Once the credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union) receive a consumer dispute, they must conduct a reasonable “reinvestigation.”  The credit reporting agencies must block fraudulent information in 4 business days if they receive an identity theft report.  

Download your free identity theft report HERE. 

If the credit reporting agencies break the law, then consumers have the right to sue them in federal court for actual and statutory damages, plus attorney’s fees.  Micah Adkins represents victims of identity theft in federal court all over the country.  Our firm includes lawyers licensed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.  We can meet with you in person for a free case review.

Here are some of the identity theft stories we are following:  

ALABAMA

Montgomery, Alabama

Federal grand jury in Montgomery indicts man in identity theft scheme
al.com (blog)

A federal grand jury in Montgomery has returned an indictment charging Harvey James for using stolen identities to file false tax returns. The 34-count indictment charges James with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft …

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery man sentenced to 51 months in federal prison on identity theft …
al.com (blog)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — A Montgomery man was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison today after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft and access device fraud early this year. Kenneth Jerome Blackmon Jr. was involved in a scheme to use …

FLORIDA

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Fla. women get long sentences for ID theft, fraud
San Francisco Chronicle

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Two South Florida women have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for identity theft and tax fraud involving some 2,000 false income tax returns. U.S. District Judge James Cohn in Fort Lauderdale sentenced 36-year-old …

Jacksonville, Florida

Florida identity theft on the rise
ActionNewsJax.com

Divita carries around what he calls his ID theft bible everywhere he goes. It’s an encyclopedia of 11 people who have stolen his identity to get everything from mortgage and loan approvals. After years of investigations, he still hasn’t been able to … 

Jacksonville, Florida

More arrests in scheme involving identity theft from Shands hospitals
Florida Times-Union

Shands Jacksonville hospital announced April 3 that 1,025 patients should take appropriate steps to protect themselves from identity theft due the criminal activity. The hospital said it is paying for one year of identity-monitoring services to all …

South Florida

Ringleader of $11.7M identity theft and tax fraud sentenced to more than 26 years
Sun-Sentinel

The ringleader of a brazen South Florida identity theft ring that sought $11.7 million worth of fraudulent income tax refunds was sentenced Thursday to more than 26 years in federal prison. Federal prosecutors said the scheme was one of the biggest and … 

Tallahassee, Florida

Preventing ID Theft: Shred Your Documents With Police This Weekend
WCTV

Identity theft and financial crimes are an ever-increasing issue facing law enforcement and the public. Identity theft is usually perpetrated to facilitate other crimes, such as credit card fraud or check fraud. The thief is cunning and uses a variety …

GEORGIA

Albany, Georgia

Former bank teller sentenced in ID theft
The Albany Herald

ALBANY, Ga. — Victoria Metz, 26, drew a four-year prison sentence Thursday for 12 counts of embezzlement of government property and four counts of aggravated identity theft, according to according to Michael J. Moore, U.S. attorney for the Middle …

TEXAS

Plainview, Texas

Don’t give your Social Security number to identity thieves
Plainview Daily Herald

That article generated a lot of feedback from readers who had numerous questions on how to protect themselves from getting their identity stolen. Surprisingly, most of the people who I visited with have never heard of identity-theft protection programs.

San Antonio, Texas

Man already accused of identity theft arrested again
KSAT San Antonio

William Stuart, already facing charges related to identity theft, is accused of striking again—only weeks after his release from jail. The 32-year-old North Side resident was arrested Monday on a charge of fraudulent use of identifying information. An … 

Tyler, Texas

Protect your information to avoid identity theft – Tyler Morning Telegraph
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Don’t be fooled by identity thieves; take the proper precautions. Be sure to safeguard your personal information, such as your Social Security number and mother’s maiden name. If an identity thief scores this information, it could result in more than …

NATIONAL NEWS 

Dead Simple: Identity Theft, the Deceased and Tax Returns
Huffington Post

The IRS has reported that it blocked $20 billion in tax refunds from bogus tax claims last year — $6 billion more than the year before. That, readers, is progress. At least the IRS calls it progress. What the figure really means is that more and more

Identity Theft: It’s Not Just for Grownups!
Huffington Post

Watch for credit offers mailed in your child’s name as this can be an early warning to identity theft. If the offer is from a bank where there is an account in your child’s name, ask to be removed from marketing. If the offer comes from another source … 

How to do a free online background check – USA Today
USA TODAY

If you are performing a background check as a landlord or employer — or for credit, medical or insurance reasons — you can’t use just any service. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have to use a Consumer Reporting Agency. A CRA has to maintain …

Do any of these stories sound familiar to you?  Are you an identity theft victim? Do you have credit report errors? Have you disputed the credit report errors?   Have the credit bureaus “verified” fraudulent information on your credit report and refused to delete the information from your report?  

Contact us 24/7 for a free case review at 1-800-263-9091.

The call is free, and so is the consultation. 

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