Category Archives: Identity Fraud

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “Identity Theft Involving Children is a Growing Crime,” written by Leslie Mitchell and published by The Salt Lake Tribune on April 7, 2012.

ID theft is a growing crime, especially involving children.
In the past five years, the Utah Attorney General’s online Identity Theft Reporting Information System has received more than 3,000 reports of ID theft — about 67 percent of which involved Social Security numbers belonging to children. Nationally, more than 19,000 reports of child identity theft were made to the Federal Trade Commission, up from about 6,000 reports in 2003.

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “FBI: Pa Man Stole Microsoft Co-Founder’s Identity,” written by Randy Pennell of the Associated Press and published by Boston.com on March 27, 2012.

An AWOL soldier’s simple scheme to defraud one of the richest men in the world has landed him in federal custody, according to a criminal complaint.

In the complaint unsealed Monday, federal investigators allege Brandon Lee Price changed the address on a bank account held by billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, then had a debit card sent to his Pittsburgh home so he could use it for payments on a delinquent Armed Forces Bank account and personal expenses.

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “Russian National Convicted for Identity Theft and Making False Statements to SSA,” published by Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Social Security Administration on March 8, 2012.

A federal judge sentenced Evgueni Tetioukhine to 48 months in prison for identity theft and fraud. Tetioukhine lived in the United States for almost 20 years, posing as another man who has dual Irish and U.S. Citizenship. In 1991, as his U.S. visa was expiring, Tetioukhine used information belonging to Fionghal S. MacEoghan to obtain a U.S. passport and Social Security number. He later obtained a mortgage and federal student loans in MacEoghan’s name.

In 2010, the real Fionghal MacEoghan, living in Ireland, discovered through Facebook that another person was using his identity. Warwick police were notified and a subsequent investigation resulted in charges of identity theft, false statements on loan applications, false use of a Social Security number and passport fraud.

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “Man who lived, committed crimes under stolen ID for 30 years sentenced,” by Scott Sunde, published by SeattlePI.com, January 27, 2012.

A Covington man who stole another man’s identity more than 30 years ago after a bar fight and lived under it since then will now be living under his real name in federal prison.

Curtis Tyrone Wudtee, 62, was sentenced Friday to 57 months in prison. He pleaded guilty last year to misuse of a Social Security Number, aggravated identity theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “DA: Rockville Centre Woman Used Craigslist in Identity Fraud Scheme,” published by the LIHerald.com, January 26, 2012.

A Rockville Centre woman allegedly used fake Craiglist ads for nonexistent jobs and apartments to steal hundreds of identities nationwide, which she and another defendant used to apply for bank loans and credit cards and steal more than $75,000, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

Susan Pemberton, 42, of Rockville Centre and Cynthia Sibert, 22, of Roslyn were indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on charges of grand larceny and schemes to defraud.
The two women are also accused of filing fraudulent state income tax returns for more than $500,000 in refunds.

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “Not Even Kids Safe from Identity Theft: When Children Are Victims, Crime Can Go Undetected for Years, Experts Say,” written by Joseph Ruzich, published by The Chicago Tribune, January 25, 2012.

Millions of cases of identity theft are reported in the United States each year.

And although most of the victims are adults, children are not immune to having their identities stolen.

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “Columbus County man pleads guilty in federal crop fraud case,” published by FayObserver.com, January 10, 2012.
A 53-year-old man has pleaded guilty in a fraud case involving the Federal Crop Insurance Program, a news release from U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker said.

Steven M. Hardwick, who has addresses in Clarendon in Columbus County and in Nichols, S.C., pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to make false statements, making false statements, committing mail fraud and wire fraud, and aiding and abetting the making of false statements in connection with the crop insurance program, according to the news release. Sentencing is scheduled for April 16, and Hardwick faces up to 35 years in prison.

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “US Citizen Caught With Drugs Avoids Prison by Posing as Illegal Immigrant,” by Ray Downs, published by the Christian Post, November 4, 2011.

An American citizen who thought deportation would be preferable to incarceration told police that he was an illegal immigrant in order to be sent to Mexico instead of prison – and it worked.

Jaime Alvarado, 27, from Salt Lake City, was arrested in Feb. 2010 for possession of “cocaine and heroin with an intent to distribute,” reported ABC News, and told police that he was Saul Quiroz, an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “Inmate who ran ring stealing metro-east residents’ IDs gets 12 years,” by Belleville News-Democrat staff, published by the BND.com, Nov. 8, 2011.

A Missouri prisoner who was able to steal the identities of people in Madison and St. Clair counties and open bank accounts in their names has been sentenced in federal court in East St. Louis in connection with those crimes.

Danwine Dewayne Renard, 47, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to participating in an identity theft scheme that took in more than $200,000 while he was in the Missouri Department of Corrections, according to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Stephen R. Wigginton. He was charged with conspiracy to commit mail, wire and bank fraud, aiding and abetting bank fraud and two counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft.