Once identity thieves have your personal information, they can drain your bank account, run up charges on your credit cards, open new utility accounts, or get medical treatment on your health insurance.
Article source: http://www.hpenews.com/atnonline/protect-yourself-from-fraud-identity-theft/article_fec4b722-38fb-11e6-adcd-6b429e33e95a.html
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
Posted: Wednesday, June 22, 2016 8:23 am
Register now for free seminars on identity theft to be held at UW-BC and presented by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Monday, July 11, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. at the Blue Hills Lecture Hall. Register by contacting the Rice Lake Chamber of Commerce at 715-234-2126.
Identity theft continues to be the fastest growing crime in the United States. The more you learn about it, the less vulnerable you will be.
Sally Chalmers, Assistant Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the department of Agriculture, will be the speaker at the first session. She will discuss the different types of identity theft, how to recognize and prevent identity theft, fraud alerts and security freezes plus giving tips and take-home brochures for safeguarding personal information and how to spot the red flags of a scam.
Laura Fay will present the second session and talk about the common causes of data breaches, identifying business data security risks.
Fay is the Agency Liason for the Bureau of Consumer Protection. She will discuss security awareness, common causes of date breaches and why small to medium size businesses are targeted. She will also discuss best practices for setting data privacy and security policies for businesses. Register by contacting the Rice Lake Chamber of Commerce at 715-234-2126.
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Article source: http://www.news-shield.com/news/local_news/article_767ce238-387c-11e6-b588-2b011f40cbd1.html
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
WESTLAND (WWJ) – Police are asking the public for help identifying a pair of suspects who are wanted for credit fraud and identity theft.
The suspects, a man and woman, were caught on surveillance footage at the Walmart store on Ellsworth Road in Ypsilanti, not far from I-94 and Michigan Avenue.
During their shopping trip, police say the couple used a Westland resident’s stolen debit card to pay for purchases totaling more than $200. The pair was also seen making multiple purchases using multiple credit and debit cards, according to police.
Both suspect left the store’s parking lot in a silver 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix with tinted rear windows and either black rims or wheels missing hub caps.
The suspects fled the scene in this vehicle. (police handout)
The first suspect is described as a black male approximately 25- to 35-years-old with a medium to heavy build and facial hair on his chin.
The second suspect is described as a black female approximately 25- to 35-years-old with a heavy build and hair pulled back into a bun.
Police are trying to identify two suspects who are wanted for credit fraud and identity theft. (Credit: police handout)
Anyone who recognizes the suspects or who has any other information is urged to contact police at 734-722-9600.
Article source: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2016/06/23/couple-wanted-for-credit-fraud-identity-theft-caught-on-camera-at-walmart-video/
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
SAN DIEGO and LITTLE ROCK, Ark., June 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) and First Orion today announced users of the PrivacyStar app and applications powered by the PrivacyStar service will have immediate and direct access to free victim assistance should a fraud or identity theft attempt occur.
PrivacyStar is the only service to include ScamBlock, real-time caller ID and call blocking as well as the ability to report abusive calls directly to federal agencies. By partnering with the ITRC, app users now have a second line of defense against fraud attempts.
“PrivacyStar will automatically block all known scammers and identify suspicious callers, but consumers also need a trusted resource to help ensure that they are able to protect their identity and personal information should they provide personal information to an unknown caller,” said Jonathan Sasse, CMO of First Orion. “PrivacyStar is the first and only service to directly connect users with a fraud expert who can offer free advice for protecting oneself, a step-by-step plan and the necessary documents and letters needed to report and resolve an identity theft case.”
The ITRC—a nonprofit that supports victims of identity theft in resolving their cases and broadens public awareness of scams, fraud and privacy issues—will be standing by to assist PrivacyStar users who may have inadvertently provided their personal information due to a fraud attempt by scam caller.
“Consumers who have just been scammed may be at an increased risk of identity theft,” said Eva Velasquez, President and CEO of ITRC. “They are often confused, scared and don’t know who to trust. This partnership will allow the ITRC to be a trusted resource to PrivacyStar’s most vulnerable customers when they need help the most.”
About the Identity Theft Resource Center
Founded in 1999, the Identity Theft Resource Center® (ITRC) is a nationally recognized non-profit organization established to support victims of identity theft in resolving their cases, and to broaden public education and awareness in the understanding of identity theft, data breaches, cybersecurity, scams/fraud and privacy issues. The ITRC provides victim assistance and consumer education through its toll-free call center, website and social media, as well as through the new ID Theft Help Mobile App.
About PrivacyStar
The PrivacyStar app is the only service to include ScamBlock, real-time caller ID and call blocking as well the ability to report abusive calls and texts directly to federal agencies. PrivacyStar is available as a free download for Android smartphones and powers call management solutions for many leading mobile carriers. Each month, PrivacyStar blocks millions of calls and files hundreds of thousands of call complaints on behalf of customers directly with the Federal Trade Commission for Do Not Call and Fair Debt Collections Practices Act violations. PrivacyStar is a First Orion company.
About First Orion
First Orion is dedicated to providing phone call transparency by empowering both consumers and businesses with world-class data. It protects consumers from unwanted phone calls and unknown callers, along with fraud and scam protection, with call management software on industry leading mobile applications and network based solutions. The company helps businesses utilize authoritative data to ensure that they are properly contacting the right customers or validating their customer data with accurate information. First Orion is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas with offices in Dallas, Seattle and London.
For regular updates, please visit www.FirstOrion.com.
PrivacyStar and First Orion are registered trademarks of First Orion Corp. All registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Catherine Barkley
FortyThree, Inc.
831.401.3175
PS@43pr.com
Nikki Fiorentino
Identity Theft Resource Center
858.500.2068
Nikki@idtheftcenter.org
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-orion-and-identity-theft-resource-center-partner-to-support-phone-scam-victims-300289098.html
SOURCE First Orion
Article source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-orion-and-identity-theft-resource-center-partner-to-support-phone-scam-victims-300289098.html
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
Posted Jun. 23, 2016 at 11:47 AM
Article source: http://www.news-star.com/news/20160623/woman-pleads-guilty-to-multiple-counts-of-identity-theft-computer-crimes
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
Detectives are trying to identify a woman who walked into the 76 gas station at Lomita and Western avenues in Harbor City on April 27 and tried to cash a check at Regal Check Cashing Services inside. The check was stolen from the Calvary Assembly of God Church in Lomita three days earlier. She is Latina, 25 to 35 years old, with short blond/brown hair. Anyone who can identify her is asked to call sheriff’s Detective Jason Smith at 310-891-3219.
Article source: http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20160623/detectives-seek-lomita-identity-theft-suspect-who-tried-to-cash-stolen-check
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
An Elk Grove woman was sentenced Thursday to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley also ordered 32-year-old Brittany Dyan Cunningham to pay $1,367 in restitution, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release. Cunningham pleaded guilty to the charges April 7.
According to court documents, between Dec. 1 and Jan. 13, Cunningham obtained stolen personal and financial identification information and used it to make online purchases, open bank accounts and pose as the identity-theft victims to conduct fraudulent transactions and obtain goods. When law enforcement officers searched Cunningham’s Elk Grove residence, they found stolen mail from more than 50 victims and more than 15 bank cards.
The case resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with the assistance of the Elk Grove Police Department.
Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article85638092.html
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
On Wednesday, June 22, the Auburn Police Division arrested Lauren M. Batchelor, 30, from Auburn on felony warrants charging her with identity theft and fraudulent use of a credit card. The arrest is the result of an investigation by Auburn Police into a report of fraudulent use of a credit card made on Jan. 20, 2016.
Article source: http://www.wtvm.com/story/32294478/auburn-woman-arrested-for-identity-theft
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
NEWARK—Criminal charges against a 35-year-old Filipino who allegedly targeted former FBI Director Robert Mueller and other high-profile victims were unsealed Friday in what federal prosecutors in New Jersey called a sophisticated identity theft scheme.
Peter Locsin of Palisay City, Philippines, was indicted on one count of bank fraud conspiracy and two counts of aggravated identity theft, in an indictment returned May 10 and unsealed with his arrest overseas.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said Locsin was taken into custody on unrelated charges in the Philippines. They have yet to make a request for his extradition, a spokesman said.
Locsin, along with others who were not named, allegedly obtained personal information for a number of victims in an effort to gain access to their bank accounts and credit cards.
None of the victims were named in the indictment, but the Philippine Star quoted police there who said Mueller, the former director of the FBI, was among those targeted in the scheme.
At least two others were New Jersey residents according to the indictment, one was a CEO of a multinational corporation, and another was described as “a well-known socialite and entertainer.”
A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman would not confirm that Mueller was a victim, and would not identify any of the others targeted in the alleged scam.
Is that ATM safe to use? Maybe not…
Prosecutors said Locsin and others involved in the scheme were able to obtain personal identifying information—including dates of birth, Social Security numbers, address and work history, and then accessed bank accounts of individuals online, or through telephone calls. According to the indictment, Locsin used those accounts to make wire transfers, order merchandise, order emergency replacement cards, add supplemental cardholders to accounts, or change addresses related to those accounts.
In February 2012, for example, he allegedly reset the password for one victim’s online bank account and then transferred out $11,000. In the following months, authorities said he ordered a replacement credit card in the same victim’s name to be sent to an address in the Philippines, and made 13 attempts to transfer additional funds out of the account.
In March of 2013, Locsin allegedly added a bank account in the name of a celebrity and tried to make payments out of it.
And in November 2013, Locsin is charged with attempting to transfer $15,000 from a bank account in the name of Mueller, identified in the indictment only as a “former high-ranking United States government official.
If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Article source: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/06/suspect_in_identity_theft_scheme_allegedly_targete.html
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
SUN CITY CENTER — The phone rings and there’s a computerized voice from your neighborhood pharmacy saying they need to verify that you have a prescription on file with them.
The voice asks you to repeat your name, address, date of birth and — your Social Security number.
Suddenly you stop and think, “Wait a minute, there’s something fishy about this call.”
You hang up, call your pharmacy to make sure this call was legitimate and discover you almost became another victim of a scam involving identity theft.
“Sun City Center gets more phone solicitation calls than anywhere in Hillsborough County,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jeff Merry, the community resource deputy for Sun City Center in his monthly open forum presentation on identity theft.
The U.S. Justice Department defines this ever-increasing crime as the act of wrongfully using someone else’s personal identification information for financial gain. That information can include your name, address, date of birth, personal identification numbers, passwords, bank account information, debit and credit card numbers and Social Security numbers.
Really, anything that is personal to you.
Merry is trying to spread awareness of the many ways innocent people are being robbed of valuable assets through fraudulent means and educate them on ways to protect themselves from these heartless predators.
“The main way to get your personal information is to trick you,” Merry said.
Merry warned of “phishing” emails, emails that appear to be authentic communications from your bank asking for your account number, only to turn out to be an email designed to acquire the account information.
Merry described many other creative ways in which criminals prey on unsuspecting victims, and it seems that older people are their favorite targets.
Law enforcement calls one gimmick the “Grandparent Scam” which begins with a friendly call from someone trying to get the names of your children and grandchildren.
A few weeks later, you receive another call from a voice that sounds like your grandchild, who even identifies themselves with the correct name. The voice on the other end is in desperate need of some money, and the grandparent obliges, only to discover later the money went to a bad guy.
Other scams come in the form of in-person solicitations where the predator comes right to your door offering some service or merchandise, and in the course of their conversation, gain information about you and asks about your neighbors as well.
“One unsuspecting gentleman realized that he had given a lot of information about his next-door neighbor,” Merry said. “He gave him his name, his wife’s name … he even told him they were snowbirds and would be gone for several months. Then it suddenly dawned on him that he had told this total stranger way too much information about his neighbor.
“We don’t think about that when we are engaged in conversation with someone person-to-person and don’t realize they may be there to gather information for some criminal purpose.”
According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, 15 million Americans are victims of identity theft every year. That’s 7 percent of the American population.
“Those numbers will keep going up with the advancement of technology,” Merry said. “The more they can mass hack companies and obtain your information, the more they are going to use it.”
If you are a victim of identity theft, report it immediately to the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov/idtheft. Local law enforcement must have a FTC report number before they can begin any investigation into your crime.
The best way to prevent this type of victimization is to be alert and “stubbornly cautious,” Merry concluded.
“You don’t know who’s on the other end of that website, that email, or that phone call. Think, ‘I don’t know you so I’m not giving you this information.’ “
Merry offers these seminars four times a month at various locations throughout Sun City Center. To learn more, contact him at (813) 242-5515.
Contact Kathy Straub at hillsnews@tampabay.com.
Article source: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/hcso-warns-sun-city-center-seniors-to-watch-out-for-identity-theft/2282980
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
Nonetheless, the trademark issue is not going down easy with some of the townsfolk. Dana Williams, the former mayor of Park City, is among those leading a drive to stop the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from finalizing the deal.
The trademark application has been filed but is subject to a protest period, Williams said. The deadline for such objections is July 9.
Trademarking the Park City name would rob the community of its identity, the former mayor said Thursday. It also would create confusion for anyone trying to distinguish the resort from the town. The town’s historic district, for example, is not within the resort boundaries.
Not least, Williams said the trademark could impact existing businesses that include the words “Park City” as part of their monikers. That could extend to lodging, restaurants, real estate and transportation.
“The potential for mission creep here could extend throughout the business community,” Williams said.
Vail’s assurances have not stopped an online petition against the trademark application that has garnered over 1,600 signatures with comments such as, “Park City is our town, not the name of your resort.” And, “Vail has no right to use the Park City name.”
Vail took over operations of Canyons Resort in 2013 in a lease agreement with Talisker Corp. It then acquired PCMR in 2014 after a protracted legal dispute with Powdr Corp. Since then Vail has pumped $50 million into improvements at its Utah ski operation. Vail is the most significant economic driver in Park City or Summit County.
Kristin Williams, vice president of mountain community affairs for Vail Resorts Inc., said the corporation will make every effort to safeguard local businesses and reduce confusion by distinguishing between the municipality and the ski resort where appropriate — such as in radio spots advertising local activities.
She noted, however, that the ski resort formerly known as Park City Mountain Resort always has been synonymous with the Park City label in skiing circles and national marketing.
Vail Resorts Inc. inherited the trademark application from the preceding owner, Powder Corp., Kristin Williams said. Vail has narrowed the once-broad language to cover only resort operations.
“We’re protecting against any other ski resort using the Park City name,” she said.
Further, she said Vail would provide written assurances to any Summit County business fearful of trademark infringement.
Vail has been in discussions with the municipality, Kristin Williams said.
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Article source: http://www.sltrib.com/home/4041050-155/some-parkites-see-bid-to-trademark
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
A Sacramento man has been sentenced to three years and three months in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Abdul Mannan, 33, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr., who also ordered Mannan to pay $76,193 in restitution according to a U.S Attorney’s Office news release. Mannan pleaded guilty to the changes in March.
Court documents indicate that between March 5 and Nov. 7, 2014, Mannan participated in a scheme to obtain cash, goods and services from banks and Sacramento-area stores. On July 1, 2015, federal agents executed a search warrant at Mannan’s residence and found personal and financial information for more than 25 different victims and more than 25 different credit card accounts.
The case resulted from and investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department.
Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article85917762.html
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
He traveled, gambled and had an affinity for shiny objects: a Rolex watch, two Maseratis and a bright orange Jaguar convertible.
He also bought a luxury downtown Miami condo in a $775,000 all-cash deal, investigators say.
But Gerti Muho’s high-flying lifestyle was fueled by lies, stolen identities and more than $2 million in stolen cash, federal prosecutors say.
His adventure came to an end when, after spending a few months on the lam, he was captured by federal agents at his mother’s home in Queens, N.Y., authorities said. They recently moved him to the Broward County Jail, and he will remain locked up until his trial.
Muho, 32, had left South Florida in January, records show, after he was arrested on relatively minor state charges, accused of using someone else’s identity to apply for an $800 payday loan at an Amscot store.
That arrest apparently was a fluke: Federal authorities already were investigating allegations that Muho pulled off an extraordinarily broad range of financial crimes in Broward and Miami-Dade counties between April 2013 and May this year.
He was indicted on 36 federal charges days after his arrest.
The loss amount, so far, is estimated at between $1.5 million and $3 million, court records show.
He is expected to plead not guilty to multiple counts of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud early next month in federal court in Fort Lauderdale. The most serious charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.
“At this moment, there is no comment for us to make,” Muho’s lawyer, Michael J. Rosen, told the Sun Sentinel.
Handcuffed, shackled and dressed in a green-striped jail jumpsuit, Muho answered a judge’s questions with a polite “Yes, Your Honor” during a court appearance Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale.
Muho’s fraud began when he worked as a hedge-fund manager at Fletcher Asset Management in New York from June 2012 to April 2013, when he was fired, investigators said.
Muho’s job gave him access to sensitive information, and investigators said he abused that trust.
“Law enforcement learned that Muho, during late 2012, copied and retained the company’s [computer] server files, which contained voluminous personal and financial identifying information of employees, clients, subsidiaries and others,” agents from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI wrote in court records.
A few months after he was fired, Muho moved to South Florida and illegally arranged the $2 million transfer from the Monaco bank account of one of his former investment fund clients to at least two bank accounts under his control in August 2013, authorities said.
Muho spent about $775,000 of the stolen cash to buy a condo at the Marquis Residences, an ultra-luxury building on Biscayne Boulevard that overlooks AmericanAirlines Arena and the Pérez Art Museum in September 2013, authorities said. He used the name Blue 5303 Land Trust to disguise the fraud, they said.
Muho used another $900,000 on a 2013 Maserati GT, gambling, paying off personal credit card debts and other expenses, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean McLaughlin wrote in the indictment.
The investment fund victims sued to freeze about $400,000 that remained in Muho’s accounts and eventually won a civil judgment against him for the full loss, plus interest.
Muho, who was also known by several aliases including Gerard Peter Morgan, Enton Penguli and Kris Blair, began using stolen identities to commit a series of frauds and to deposit counterfeit checks, according to the criminal charges.
About a year later, Muho, posing as Gerard Morgan, fraudulently obtained a $500,000 mortgage loan, using equity in the Miami condo as collateral for the loan, investigators said.
He spent much of that money on gambling, travel and other purchases and defaulted on the loan, they said. The lender later foreclosed and sold the condo.
In 2015, investigators say Muho used the Gerard Morgan name again to get a $38,000 credit union auto loan to pay for the orange Jaguar. Muho traded in the Maserati GT, claimed he earned $220,000 a year and used a fake Social Security number and bogus IRS records to obtain the loan, according to the charges. He later stopped making the loan payments.
Muho also posed as other people to open several accounts, deposit fake checks and obtain lines of credit at banks in Sunrise, Cooper City, Miami and Sunny Isles in late 2015, investigators said.
Around the same time, Muho used other people’s identities to apply for more than $185,000 worth of student, auto, personal and credit card loans, according to the charges. He also bought a Rolex watch using a $7,700 consumer loan obtained by lying, authorities said.
Court records in the criminal case provide few hints about Muho’s potential motives or his defense against the charges.
Muho graduated with a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2012 but failed the California Bar exams twice and is not licensed to practice law, according to court records. Though he is not a lawyer, he has been allowed to represent himself in a series of civil lawsuits he filed in disputes linked to his former hedge-fund role.
His lengthy and numerous civil lawsuits and bankruptcy filings in South Florida, New York, Delaware and California in recent years have been unpersuasive to judges: All of the cases have been dismissed or are under appeal, according to prosecutors.
“This claim is frivolous … [Muho’s] claim is incoherent and incomprehensible,” Chief U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore wrote in a February 2014 order rejecting one of Muho’s civil suits in federal court in Miami.
The distinctive orange Jaguar F-type convertible apparently helped lead to Muho’s downfall.
After he fled South Florida in January, investigators said they tracked a Verizon internet service signal they thought he was using to continue committing fraud.
When postal inspection agents traced that internet signal to his mother’s home in the Ridgewood section of Queens, N.Y., they spotted his Jaguar parked outside the house and he was arrested a short time later.
pmcmahon@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4533 or Twitter @SentinelPaula
Article source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-gerti-muho-fraud-20160624-story.html
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
Posted: Thursday, June 23, 2016 5:30 pm
The McDowell News
Almost eight months after an 80-year-old Marion woman was robbed of thousands of dollars allegedly by her niece’s husband, a grand jury indicted the suspect on 46 felony counts of identity theft.
On Sept. 16, 2015, Wilma Jean Carson, 80, filed a report that money had been taken from her bank account. After a year-long investigation, Sgt. Rick Gutierrez of the Marion Police Department charged Kenneth Eugene Hamilton, 49, of West High Street, Marion with 46 counts of identity theft on Oct. 9.
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Article source: http://www.mcdowellnews.com/community/grand-jury-suspect-indicted-on-identity-theft/article_615c0a88-3984-11e6-ba9d-3f77993d66c3.html
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
If you rent out your home or apartment through an online rental site like Airbnb, you could be a greater risk of being a victim of identity theft.
That is the warning from the identity monitoring firm LifeLock, which conducted a survey of about 1,000 American adults and found that 41% said they have snooped through the private items of homes they have visited or rented.
That rate is higher, 57%, among millennials, who are most likely to use rental sites like Airbnb.
Identity theft and short-term rentals are phenomena that have grown in the digital age. But there is yet no data to show a direct link between the growth of identity theft and the surging popularity of short-term rentals.
Still, Paige Hanson, chief of identity education at LifeLock, said home sharing increases the risk of identity theft because it gives travelers access to private homes and personal data, a problem that doesn’t exist when travelers stay at hotels.
“There will always be those bad actors who use those services to find victims,” she said.
Airbnb, the largest home-sharing business, advises people who rent out homes through their website to lock up their personal papers and stop their mail when renters are in the homes.
But if an Airbnb host has his or her identity stolen, Airbnb spokesman Nick Shapiro said, the company will pay for the services of Allclear, an identity repair and protection firm.
hugo.martin@latimes.com
To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
Article source: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-travel-briefcase-identity-20160625-snap-story.html
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
Q: I have a situation that I hope you can help me with. About two years ago, I was the victim of an identity theft. As a result, my credit has been ruined. I am working on correcting the situation, but it’s going to be a while. The problem is my wife and I want to move. However, when I sat down with a mortgage company to get pre-approved, it basically told me that I don’t qualify for a mortgage. The house that we want to buy is a house that is owned by a good friend of mine. The house was being used by his parents, but they are now in assisted living. He is willing to work with me, but I’m not sure how to proceed if I can’t get a mortgage. I was hoping that you could give me some ideas.
A: Restoring your credit after you’ve been subject to an identity theft can be a very frustrating process. It is always longer, more complicated and certainly more frustrating than it should be. That being said, there is not much you can do to speed up the process. Therefore, we have to look for alternative ways to finance the home.
Since your friend wants to work with you, one thing you can consider is a land contract. On a land contract, the seller finances the purchase. Unlike a mortgage company that must run credit reports and look at credit scores, the seller in a land contract doesn’t have to do that. You may be able to work out with the seller to do a land contract over a short period of time. Maybe you have a three-year land contract with a 30-year amortization. What that means is you make monthly payments based upon the fact that the loan is being spread out over 30 years; after three years, a lump-sum payment for the remaining balance is due. The presumption is that, in three years, you should be able to qualify for a mortgage. The land contract terms can basically be anything you two agree upon. It could be a five-year land contract with a 25-year amortization. Of course, there are pros and cons from your standpoint.
In your situation, the obvious pro is that you can buy the house you want today. Certainly, if that house is going to increase the quality of your life — and I hope it does — this is a great use of a land contract. The downside, of course, is that mortgage rates will probably be higher when your land contract comes due, whether that’s three years, five years or whatever.
Another alternative you should explore is whether your wife may qualify for the mortgage in her name. Depending if the identity theft affected her, she may be able to qualify for a mortgage in her name alone. Once again, this can have pros and cons. The pro is the fact that you can get a mortgage and lock into today’s low interest rate. The con – depending upon your wife’s income, the interest rate may be slightly higher than if both your incomes were taken into consideration.
One last note: Protect sensitive information and put up as many roadblocks as possible to try to prevent identity theft. Because when it does happen, it is not as easy to correct the situation as it should be.
Good luck!
Rick Bloom is a fee-only financial adviser. His website is www.bloomassetmanagement.com. If you would like him to respond to questions, email rick@bloomassetmanagement.com.
Article source: http://www.hometownlife.com/story/opinion/contributors/rick-bloom/2016/06/26/dealing-identity-theft-can-frustrating-confusing/86289750/
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
Two people were arrested Saturday on suspicion of identity theft after officers discovered stolen checks and mail in their car following a crash, Rohnert Park police said.
Elizabeth Kinder, 36, of Clearlake, and Jonathan Amey, 28, of San Pablo, were heading west on Rohnert Park Expressway around 9 a.m. when their car rear-ended another vehicle, setting off a three-car collision, police said. During the crash investigation, officers said they found in the duo’s car stolen mail, checks and identifying information for several residents from Sonoma, Lake and Marin counties and the East Bay.
Amey also hid stolen mail in a bush next to a nearby business, police said. They searched the area after the first arriving officer spotted Amey walking back to the crash site, police said.
Officers, who are searching for a third suspect — a 6-foot tall man wearing a white sweatshirt and blue jeans seen by a witness fleeing the crash — contacted several residents whose names were on the checks and mail. Some weren’t aware of the identity theft, police said.
Kinder was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of stolen property and identity theft. Amey was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of stolen property, identity theft, and destroying and concealing evidence.
Both were booked into the Sonoma County Jail.
Two people suffered minor injuries in the crash and were taken to a nearby hospital.
Anyone who may have seen the third suspect is urged to contact the Rohnert Park Public Safety Department at 584-2600 or crimetips@rpcity.org.
Article source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/5782317-181/pair-arrested-on-id-theft
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
I am a victim of identity theft. Someone used my social security number, address, and other personal information to go on a $6,000 spending spree in my name. I’m told they probably had a fake id too since they applied for the accounts in person in Bloomington, Indiana. Here is where they successfully opened accounts and how much they spent:
That’s a total of $6,047.40 ill-gotten gains from a few days worth of work (actually just lying and shopping). They also attempted to open accounts at Sam’s Club, Best Buy, Sprint, T-Mobile, Walmart, Target, and Simply Mac. Luckily, all those other applications were rejected.
How did this happen?
Despite reports filed with both the Chicago and Bloomington police departments I still have no idea who did this or how they got my information. I’m pretty paranoid about giving out my personal information, but I still have given out my social security number out to current and past employers, landlords, and banks to name a few. I was a part of the OPM data breach although this seems like small potatoes for someone with access to that trove of personal data.
I did do two things the week before this happen that may have put my information at risk. I applied for a home equity loan, so people at my bank were handling forms with this information. I also renewed my drivers license. Did someone at the DMV take my old driver’s license and my info in order to steal and possibly sell my identity? I don’t know, although I find it curious that no new accounts were open after my birthday, which is when my old license would have shown as expired.
Realistically, I will probably never know who did this or how they got my information.
How does identity theft hurt the victim?
I didn’t have to pay the $6,000 worth of bills for credit cards I never opened, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t impacted.
My credit score dropped 20 points in two weeks and probably would have dropped more had I not been notified of the new activity from my credit monitoring service. Luckily, that home equity loan had already been approved, but had my identity theft gone unnoticed I might have gotten an unpleasant surprise when I tried to apply for a loan in the future.
The biggest impact on me was time. Time to make phone calls to ensure all the fraudulent accounts were closed. Time to fill out forms attesting the charges as fraud. Time to contact credit agencies and police departments. I’m lucky to have the sort of job where I can keep working while I’m on hold with the Macy’s fraud department for 2 hours (true story), but many other people would have a hard time getting these things done.
The ironic thing about reporting identity theft
Identity theft occurs when someone gets your social security number, so what do you have to do when you are a victim of identity theft? Tell a bunch of people your social security number! All those calls and many of the forms required me to supply my social security number to locate the correct accounts. Great.
Identity theft doesn’t go away
If someone gets your credit card number you get a new credit card number. If a website’s password data is stolen you change your password. But if someone uses your social security number you are stuck. (New social security numbers are only issued in extreme cases.) Sure, I have an extended credit alert, but I’ll still be wondering about the next time this someone might use my identity.
As if I might forget, I continue to get fliers and coupons from the stores listed above even though the accounts are closed. Getting off those mailing lists is just another thing on my to do list from this whole thing.
Identity theft is disturbingly common
I talked to a few people about this and almost all of them knew someone who went through the same thing, even a police detective I spoke to. In fact, as the worst of my identity theft experience was wrapping I up I saw that Lorrie Cranor, one of my former privacy professors and the current Chief Technologist for the FTC, recently had her identity stolen in the form of cell phone account hijacking. This can happen to anyone.
What can you do to avoid being a victim of identity theft?
Sadly, even if you do your best to protect your personal data there are always other people who have that data, which makes it very hard to be certain that your information is protected. Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you should do to try to protect yourself.
I hope you are never a victim of identity theft. It sucks.
RELATED POST: 1 in 21 million – The OPM data breach and me
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Article source: http://www.chicagonow.com/listing-beyond-forty/2016/06/what-i-learned-about-being-a-victim-of-identity-theft/
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
A 28-year-old Palm Beach County man has pleaded guilty to his part in a stolen identity tax refund fraud conspiracy that targeted students and others. Oniel Winston Scarlett, 28, is set for sentencing Sept. 30, with a potential term of up to 22 years, the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a June 23 release.
Kevork Djansezian Getty Images
It was during a traffic stop of Scarlett on Sept. 20, 2011, that a Florida Highway Patrol trooper found a trove: 92 Wal-Mart pre-paid debit cards, printouts of stolen information on hundreds of people, and more than 50 Palm Beach County School Board’ printouts with students’ names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth. The trooper also found two computers, two memory sticks and a cell phone.
According to court documents, Scarlett and co-conspirators fraudulently obtained and exchanged private identity numbers, then filed some 52 false income tax returns that directed nearly $77,000 in refunds be deposited onto pre-paid debit cards. Prosecutors said Scarlett earned $1,000 to $2,000 a week selling the fake cards. And on a computer, investigators found 228 separate login user identifications used to file false additional returns claiming bout $290,000.
Article source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local/palm-beach-county-man-pleads-guilty-to-federal-ide/nrncW/
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
SAN JOSE — A San Jose man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a sweeping identity-theft scheme prosecutors say raided nest eggs, swindled a 4-year-old boy and hijacked one man’s medical record to bankroll new breasts for an accomplice.
Tri Van Nguyen, 47, is the fourth and final defendant sentenced in connection with an operation authorities are calling “one of the most extensive and insidious identity theft rings in the city’s history.”
Judge Socrates Manoukian on Monday ordered that Nguyen serve 17 years in prison after the defendant pleaded guilty earlier in the year to 87 felony counts. All told, police and prosecutors say Nguyen and his co-conspirators bilked more than $500,000 out of 63 — and likely dozens more — victims.
The targets of Nguyen and his crew included “grieving widows, an elderly couple who lost their retirement account, and a 4-year-old boy whose stolen identity was used to pay off a relative’s power bill,” according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. The illicit money was reportedly spent on everything from luxury cars and electronics to ammunition.
“These were not people shoplifting from a grocery store to feed themselves,” said Vishal Bathija, a deputy district attorney in the office’s major fraud unit. “This was a destructive, extensive and obscene money grab.”
He added that the foursome obtained identities through an array of methods that included committing home and auto burglaries, stealing mail, scouring obituaries, and even starting a fake anti-theft website to dupe victims into offering sensitive information.
In one of the most egregious cases linked to the crew, the thieves co-opted a man’s identity to pay for breast-augmentation surgery for 36-year-old Mai Hoang, who was sentenced to 17 years and eight months in connection with the scheme. The victim in that instance was not only stuck with clearing himself from the bill, but expunging the procedure from his medical record, Bathija said.
Authorities were tipped off to the operation in late 2013 after a victim reported her IRA account was missing $100,000 after a home burglary, Bathija said. Investigators traced the withdrawal to an apartment in North San Jose, where they found what they called an identity-theft “factory” that included four printers used to create fake ID’s and fake $100 bills.
Hoang, and accomplices Ha Van Nguyen, 38, and Kent Do, 30, were arrested the day of the discovery; Tri Van Nguyen was arrested about a week later.
The apartment that served as their base of operations was rented in the name of one of their victims.
Ha Van Nguyen was sentenced to 29 years and eight months in prison and Do was sentenced to 10 years probation — with prosecutors citing his lack of a previous criminal history and minimal role in the scheme — stemming from the investigation. The case came to involve the DA’s office, San Jose police, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspector and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Bathija said identity thieves “believe it’s easy to commit the crime without being detected, and that punishments will not be severe. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case here and hopefully identity thieves will take heed.”
People who believe they might be a victims in this case or have information for investigators can contact their local police departments. Victims of identity theft looking to restore their identities and credit histories can seek guidance at identitytheftcouncil.org.
Contact Robert Salonga at 408-920-5002. Follow him at Twitter.com/robertsalonga.
Article source: http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_30063397/man-sentenced-sweeping-id-theft-ring-that-bankrolled
A post from: Identity Theft Solution Tips
