IF THEFT NEWS: WEEKLY UPDATE
Over 10 million consumers a year become victims of identity theft. Fraud victims are denied credit. If fraud victims are approved for credit, then they have to pay higher interest rates! Identity theft victims also get turned down for jobs because of arrests, convictions or other public records in a background report.
What can consumers do to protect their credit reports and their reputation? Federal law provides identity theft victims with rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) 15 U.S.C. §§1681, et seq. Under the FCRA, identity theft victims have the right to request two (2) free credit reports every 12 months. Also, identity theft victims can place a fraud alert (90 day and extended 7 year) on their credit file. Identity theft victims can dispute credit report errors due to fraud, 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 within 4 business days!
We represents victims of identity theft across the country. Here are some of the ID theft stories we are following across the nation.
Alabama
Hoover, Alabama – Hoover man charged in identity theft scheme WBRC A Hoover man suspected of stealing more than $100,000 from Wells Fargo in an identity theft scheme is now behind bars. The investigation leading to suspect Martin Harbison’s arrest began five months ago when Wells Fargo bank employees noticed …
Mountain Brook, Alabama – Elder abuse town hall meeting focuses on identity theft, fraud cases in the state al.com (blog) In 2010, the Federal Trade Commission reported that a total of 3,339 complaints of identity theft had been recorded in the state of Alabama alone. Those FTC figures, which equal to approximately 70 complaints per 100,000 residents, rank Alabama
Florida
Miami, Florida –Broward man pleads guilty in massive identity theft Sun-Sentinel Rodney Saintfleur, 28, of West Park, plead to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, one count of access device fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said. Evidence showed that between April 2009 and July 2012, …
Florida identity theft ring operating in north suburbs WLS (WINNETKA) A Florida woman, arrested Thursday after trying to cash a forged check at a north suburban bank, is believed to part of an identity theft ring working out of Florida. Molly E. Meiring, 35, of the 5700 block of 18th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale …
Georgia
Augusta, GA – Legal secretary sentenced to federal prison for bank fraud, identity theft The Augusta Chronicle A legal secretary who stole $155,660 from her employer through bank fraud and identity theft received a federal prison sentence of nearly seven years Tuesday. Pamela Garrison deserved no less than the maximum sentence for her third conviction for …
Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Almost 400 victims identified in massive identity theft scheme WBXH Pamela Reams, 47, has been charged with 377 counts of identity theft and possession of fraudulent documents for identification purposes in East Baton Rouge Parish. She has also been charged with conspiracy to commit monetary abuse and bank fraud in …
Multi-agency identity theft investigation results in several arrests The Daily Advertiser Louisiana State Police Detectives along with several other law enforcement agencies are investigating numerous cases of identity theft that have occurred over the course of the past year in several states. In all of the cases, bank accounts belonging …
North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina – NBC Charlotte helps identity theft victim keep the power on WCNC The Mauldins sent the police case report numbers to Duke Energy to confirm the identity theft. “But the notices kept coming. I asked her ‘why, since he did it without our permission with a stolen social security number, they were still making us pay …
Jacksonville, North Carolina – Identity theft – Stephanie Anne Stroup Jacksonville Daily News Stephanie Anne Stroup, 26, of Pine Ridge Road in New London, was charged on Wednesday, Nov. 28 by the Jacksonville Police Department with identity theft and misdemeanor larceny. Stroup is accused of stealing two packages of panties, one bra and one …
South Carolina
SC taxpayers at risk for identity theft AirForceTimes.com If you’ve filed a tax return in South Carolina since 1998, you could be at risk of fraud or identity theft, and need to take steps to protect yourself. About 3.8 million Social Security numbers, 387,000 credit and debit card numbers and 657,000 …
Tennessee
Pulaski, Tennessee Theft On The Rise In Tennessee, Be Cautious WKSR The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Identity Crimes Unit warns consumers to beware of identity thieves who victimize holiday shoppers. The unit urges holiday shoppers to take precautions to protect their identity during the busy …
National News
ID Theft Scam Run from Prison BankInfoSecurity.com Customers of Bank of America, Citibank and the former Washington Mutual Bank were taken for $8 million, after their accounts were compromised as part of an intricate identity theft and bank fraud scheme that was run for nearly six years from a …
Identity theft’s youngest victims Washington Post As a parent, you teach your children about stranger danger. But there’s a different kind of perpetrator kids need to fear — the friend or relative who might steal their identity and damage their credit history years before they’ve had a chance to …
Identity theft, piracy and cyber crimes may hit India Inc, says KPMG’s India … Economic Times Identity theft, piracy and cyber crimes are going to be the next wave of frauds likely to hit India Inc, and companies are ill-equipped to deal with them, says KPMG’s India Fraud Survey 2012, which was released on Monday. Calling these ‘futuristic …
Are you an ID theft victim? Do you have credit report errors? Have you disputed the errors to the credit bureaus, but the inaccurate information was Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), consumers have the right to dispute credit report errors to the credit bureaus for free. You don’t have to pay anyone to do it for you!
When you dispute inaccurate information to the credit bureaus, the credit bureaus must perform a reasonable investigation of the disputed information. Also, if you send an identity theft report in support of your dispute, the credit reporting agencies must block the disputed information from appearing in your credit report within 4 business days.
The FCRA gives consumers the right to sue the credit bureaus if they fail to perform a reasonable investigation or block inaccurate information after receipt of an identity theft report. Consumers may be entitled to actual damages, including money damages for credit denials, unfavorable credit terms, or a reduction in credit score.
Call 1-800-263-9091 24/7 for a free case review.
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