IDENTITY THIEVES CONVICTED FOR STEALING MORE THAN $10 MILLION

Identity thieves were convicted of stealing more than $10 million.

A California court entered convictions for four men charged with identity theft.  Federal prosecutors alleged the men were part of an organized crime identity theft ring.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case.  The identity theft ring targeted residents of Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas.  During the six-year crime spree, the identity thieves stole more than $10 million. The men targeted dozens of victims in California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas. Over the course of the six-year conspiracy, more than $10 million was stolen.

How did the identity theft happen?  Surprisingly, two of the defendants operated the scheme from behind bars!  The two used cell phones in Avenal State Prison to run the fraud scheme.  Using the phones, the two obtained personal identifying information (PII), including dates of birth and Social Security numbers to access victims accounts.  Once the identity thieves had access to the accounts, the thieves would transfer money and print checks. The identity theft crime ring involved 20 defendants.  The four men convicted face prison time for bank fraud, conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.

What happens next for the victims?  While the identity thieves will have to serve time for their crimes, the fraud victims will be victims for the rest of their lives.  The personal identifying information taken by the identity thieves has street value.  In other words, your personal information is a commodity that can be sold or traded by criminals.  Invariably, others had access to the stolen Social Security numbers and dates of birth.  FULL STORY

Victims of identity theft have to guard their identity from being compromised again by others who may have obtained the PII.  Identity theft victims’ date of birth will be the same forever and it is extremely difficult and problematic to change your Social Security number.   You should check your credit reports regularly.  Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, victims of identity theft have the right to a free credit report from Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.  Victims should request their free credit reports and dispute all credit report errors in writing, by certified mail, to each of the credit bureaus.

We represent victims of identity theft across the US.  Our lawyers are licensed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.  If you are a victim of identity theft, contact attorney Micah Adkins 24/7 at 1-800-263-9091 for a free case review and identity theft information package. Or, contact us by using the form below.

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