ID THEFT NEWS – WEEKLY UPDATE
Micah Adkins represents victims of identity theft across the country. Identity theft is an epidemic, especially in the South. Few identity thieves are arrested and convicted. What can consumers do to protect their credit report and their reputation?
Federal law provides identity theft victims with rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Under federal law, identity theft victims have a right to two free credit reports every 12 months. Also, identity theft victims can place a fraud alert on their credit file. Like victims of credit report errors, identity theft victims have the right to dispute fraudulent credit report information, such as accounts, name variations, public records and addresses. The credit reporting agencies must block fraudulent information from appearing in a credit file after receipt of an identity theft report.
Here are some of the identity theft stories we are following in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and across the country.
Florida
Forest Lakes, Florida – String of ID thefts strikes FL subdivision Forest Lake Times The Forest Lake Police Department last week used its Code Red system to alert residents in a Forest Lake subdivision of a lengthy string of identity thefts. As of Tuesday, 14 residents of the Summerfield development have reported a combined loss of …
Jacksonville, Florida – John Doe sentenced on identity theft, fraud Sacramento Bee JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — John Doe has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for aggravated identity theft and fraud charges. Federal authorities announced Monday they haven’t been able to “affirmatively” identify him. Doe was convicted in May of seven …
Jacksonville, Florida – ID theft is the latest threat to attorneys Jacksonville Daily Record A Florida lawyer living in Colorado has had her personal information compromised, potentially setting her up for identity theft or impersonation. Laurie Morris unwittingly provided the miscreants her sensitive information when she submitted paperwork …
Coral Springs, Florida – Coral Springs Police: Identity Theft Ring Busted WBFS Ask a Question. CORAL SPRINGS (CBS4) – Detectives in Coral Springs say solid police work and a little serendipity led to the bust of a major identity theft ring. Investigators say it’s a case that may make you rethink the way you use your debit and …
Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia – Identity Theft is on the Rise: Best Tips for Mobile Device Security from … Equities.com. Identity Theft is on the Rise: Best Tips for Mobile Device Security from Protect Your Bubble. PR Web. ATLANTA, GA (PRWEB) September 04, 2012. Mobile devices are under increasing attack from hackers and people out to steal whatever they can. Protect …
Austell, Georgia – Fake doctor with stolen ID saw 500 patients in South Carolina DigitalJournal.com Austell – A Ghanaian man living in Austell, Ga., stole the identity of his physician friend, opening credit cards in his name. He took the identity theft one step further by assuming the identity of the doctor and seeing hundreds of patients in South …
Columbus, Georgia –Georgia woman guilty of fraud, identity theft Buffalo News A Columbus, Ga., woman was convicted of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft last week by a U.S. District Court jury in Buffalo. Kristina Thomas, 40, was convicted after a two-day trial. Using stolen identification of an Illinois woman, Thomas and …
Texas
Brownsville, Texas – Police: Man sought in ID theft scheme Brownsville Herald Brownsville police are looking for a man who has three outstanding state jail felony warrants for identity theft. Police spokesman J.J. Treviño said Victor Enrique Infante, 35, is accused of participating in a identity theft scheme in which three other …
Houston, Texas – Woman to Stand Trial on Identity Theft, Other Charges Patch.com A Houston woman charged with a felony count of identity theft and other misdemeanors waived her right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday—and will stand trial for the alleged crimes. Online court records indicate that Marianne Sadelmyer, 48, also waived …
Houston, Texas – Cheryl Johnson: Identity theft possible after judge blocks Texas voter laws Houston Chronicle (blog) What makes the identity theft possibility even more plausible is that the judge also removed the requirement that volunteer deputy voter registrars must live in Texas. Why is that important? Because the residency requirement allowed Texas officials to …
Temple, Texas –Temple: Local Woman Sentenced In Identity Theft Case KWTX TEMPLE (August 29, 2012)–A Temple woman was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday after she earlier pleaded guilty to participating in an identity theft ring. U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith ordered Ashley Dawn Stokes to serve two years in federal …
Tennessee
Tenn. opens new unit to investigate identity theft San Francisco Chronicle Gibbons said identity theft and fraud crimes are a growing problem in Tennessee, but many local law enforcement agencies don’t have enough resources or manpower to investigate these crimes. “When you go to local law enforcement agencies across the …
Clarksville, Tennessee – Free Identity Theft Workshop at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public … Clarksville Online Harvard Risk Management Corporation Clarksville, TN – On Thursday, August 30th, Harvard Risk Management Corporation invites you to participate in a complimentary workshop entitled Identity Theft in the Workplace. The workshop will be held in the Main …
National News
Is your college kid’s ID safe? MSN Money Students ages 18 to 24 face the highest risk of identity theft. “They’re naïve, distracted, and often living in communal settings where others can access their computer, smartphone, mail and more,” warns Adam Levin, co-founder and chairman of Credit …
Protecting Your Child’s Identity KELOLAND TV But the Federal Trade Commission says you should be safeguarding that information as much as possible to protect your children from identity theft. It’s a growing problem with children 50 times more likely to have their identities stolen than adults.
DNC delegate exposed to ID theft MSN Money The Government Accountability Office even suggested in August that Social Security numbers be removed from all Medicare cards because of the identity theft risk it poses to Medicare participants. The video of the DNC attendee was aired on multiple …
Fourteen arrested in US tax fraud, identity theft ring Chicago Tribune (Reuters) – Fourteen people were arrested on Wednesday and charged with operating a long-running U.S. identity theft ring that filed thousands of fraudulent federal income tax returns to claim $65 million in illegal refunds, according to the U.S …
How To Protect Yourself From PayPal Identity Theft Forbes An individual walks into a Home Depot, configures his cell phone to use PayPal and uses it to buy nearly $8,000 worth of $200 gift certificates. What’s the problem? It was my PayPal account and it wasn’t me – I was a victim of identity theft. I’m not …
Four Ways to Protect Your Teen From Identity Theft Fox Business Unfortunately, teens usually don’t find out about ID theft scams until they apply for a driver’s license or get a credit card. By then, the damage is already done, says Robert Siciliano, a Boston-based personal security expert. Identity thieves may …
Identity Theft Made Easy By Lazy Tech Owners CBS Local WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – With identity theft rates at an all-time high, it’s more important than ever to remember to wipe your old electronics when you discard of them. You may not even be thinking about it when you upgrade your personal computer, but more …
Are you a victim of identity theft? Do you have credit report errors? Have you disputed credit report errors to the nationwide credit bureaus and the fraudulent information was verified? Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), consumers have the right to dispute credit report errors. The credit reporting agencies must block information from appearing in your credit report that is the result of identity theft. The credit bureaus must block the information within 4 business days of receipt of an identity theft report. Under the FCRA, you have the right to sue the credit bureaus if they fail to perform a reasonable investigation or refuse to investigate your credit report disputes. Contact FCRA attorney Micah Adkins 24/7 at 1-800-263-9091 for a free case review and free sample dispute letter.
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