Identity Theft Information Page 45

Suspects charged in identity theft ring

It took a lengthy investigation by several agents and agencies to break up the identity theft ring

Posted: 09/27/2004 12:13 pm

Story filed by NewsCenter16 Reporter
Jenn Strathman

Monday morning in South Bend, federal and local officials charged nearly two-dozen people with identity theft and fraud.

There are two different cases but the federal and local authorities worked together on what they are calling Operation Credit Check.

Some of the 20 suspects were charged in federal court, and the others were charged in a St. Joseph County court.

In the federal case, the victims were often widows. They were called by inmates at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City and also by people outside of the prison.

The victims were told that they needed to re-establish their credit and then the victims then gave the alleged criminals their personal information. That personal information was then used to obtain fraudulent credit cards.

In all, there are 60 victims, both living and deceased. A total of 13 different credit card companies were also involved. The alleged criminals spent over $115,000.

The key is the age of the victims, as they were often elderly.

Assistant US Attorney Toi Houston, said, “They had very good credit so it is easy to escalate getting credit limits exceeding $20,000. Then these individuals, after they got their initial cash advances, from $2500 to $10,000, would then give the credit card to the people they recruited to go to retail establishments and within a three-day period, they would rack up close to $5,000 in retail
The investigation indicted several people in St. Joseph County


Authorities also made several federal indictments, including three against current inmates at the Indiana State Prison (above row)

purchases."

In the local case, there were eight people charged for getting counterfeit checks, counterfeit driver’s licenses and often counterfeit credit cards.

How the ring worked
The victims were called from people outside and inside the prison. Three inmates spearheaded the scheme from inside prison walls.

The inmates made those calls with cell phones that were brought in by visitors.

Bringing cell phones into the prison is against prison policies. Visitors are supposed to be searched and are not allowed to bring in a cell phone. Also, prisoners are supposed to be searched before returning to their cell.

The state didn't notice the cell phones until after it got a tip and shook down the prisoners.

Most of the suspects have been arrested, however, there are still a few warrants out for arrest.

Authorities expect to have everyone in custody by Wednesday.

Learn to protect yourself
If you discover you're a victim of identity theft, there are steps you can take to minimize the damage.
File a police report and an ID theft affidavit

Call your bank and credit card company to report the incident right away
Call one of the three national consumer reporting agencies and put a fraud alert on your credit report and ask for a copy of your report as well
Contact the Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Administration
If your identity theft included checks, call the check issuing agencies
Keep a detailed file of everyone you talk to and all the documentation about your identity theft It will help you clear your name faster and make it easier to find the documentation each agency asks for quickly.

From: http://www.wndu.com/news/092004/news_37571.php?PRINT_VERSION=1