Thieves Find Brazen Way to Steal Identities

Thieves find brazen way to steal identities
Thieves find brazen way to steal your identity - CNN.com

It's a crime so brazen that even police have been victims of the scheme.

And it's so pervasive that prosecutors were surprised by the "tsunami of fraud that we have seen around the country," according to Wifredo Ferrer, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

Unemployment benefits are issued as part of a federal and state partnership to provide money to people out of work. State payments are issued on debit cards or to a bank account.

But criminals are capitalizing on that system by buying personal information stolen from places such as hospitals, medical offices, schools and retirement programs. They then log onto state websites and file for unemployment benefits. Since the priority is for states to get the money out quickly, they don't wait for an employer to verify the identity of the person applying for the benefits. Victims typically don't find out what's happened until their employer is notified that they are receiving unemployment payments.

Federal investigators estimate the unemployment benefits fraud totals about $5.6 billion, which includes schemes where identities are stolen.

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$5.6 BILLION!

Holy crap! That is insane. When the drug trade is no longer big...guess where the criminals will go.

stonewall50 said:

Thieves find brazen way to steal identities
Thieves find brazen way to steal your identity - CNN.com



$5.6 BILLION!

Holy crap! That is insane. When the drug trade is no longer big...guess where the criminals will go.

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The "drug trade" is a multibillion dollar industry. As in over 300 billion, how exactly is it "no longer big"? Anyways, your complete ignorance of the drug world aside, I hope you're not suggesting that street level drug dealers/wholesalers/middlemen are now becoming well versed in federal law and US bureaucracy so that they can steal private information. That's just... absurd.

Hatuey said:

The "drug trade" is a multibillion dollar industry. As in over 300 billion, how exactly is it "no longer big"? Anyways, your complete ignorance of the drug world aside, I hope you're not suggesting that street level drug dealers/wholesalers/middlemen are now becoming well versed in federal law and US bureaucracy so that they can steal private information. That's just... absurd.

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I said WHEN it is no longer big. I didn't say it isn't. You don't see it taking a huge hit if pot is legalized?

It also wouldn't be that hard to steal private information. Google, trash diving, wallet theft, and so many other things. The question is...Who would buy it? We are talking about an industry that is made for organized crime.

stonewall50 said:

I said WHEN it is no longer big. I didn't say it isn't. You don't see it taking a huge hit if pot is legalized?

It also wouldn't be that hard to steal private information. Google, trash diving, wallet theft, and so many other things. The question is...Who would buy it? We are talking about an industry that is made for organized crime.

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There is no way this is a serious post. When pot is no longer illegal, pot dealers will become well versed federal bureaucracy? That's almost as stupid as when Lutherf tried to claim that there were gang wars over quarter smokes in NYC.

Hatuey said:

There is no way this is a serious post. When pot is no longer illegal, pot dealers will become well versed federal bureaucracy? That's almost as stupid as when Lutherf tried to claim that there were gang wars over quarter smokes in NYC.

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Is that what I said? Are you deliberately misquoting me? Or are you just not able to read well?

Let me ask you a question so simple that kid could answer it:

How intelligent do you have to be to get personal information from a garbage can?

Oh. And just for good measure to show that your assertion that drug dealers are oafish morons:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101380837

Just because you couldn't do it...doesn't mean that time and money stopped them.

stonewall50 said:

Is that what I said? Are you deliberately misquoting me? Or are you just not able to read well?

Let me ask you a question so simple that kid could answer it:

How intelligent do you have to be to get personal information from a garbage can?

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You do realize that nowhere in your article there is mention of thieves getting information from a garbage can, right? This is people using legally purchased information, and then using federal bureaucracy to commit a crime, do you think this is something done by pushers, middlemen or wholesalers?

When pot is no longer legal, drug dealers will simply move on to other drugs which remain illegal (you know, blow, ice etc). The profits from that alone far exceed the profits from this crime. Look, we can beat around the bush and you can try and wiggle yourself out of your absurd statements or you can continue this absurd argument where people suddenly switch into new forms of crime that are completely alien to their criminal careers. Your choice.

Hatuey said:

You do realize that nowhere in your article there is mention of thieves getting information from a garbage can, right? This is people using legally purchased information, and then using federal bureaucracy to commit a crime, do you think this is something done by pushers, middlemen or wholesalers?

When pot is no longer legal, drug dealers will simply move on to other drugs which remain illegal (you know, blow, ice etc). The profits from that alone far exceed the profits from this crime. Look, we can beat around the bush and you can try and wiggle yourself out of your absurd statements or you can continue this absurd argument where people suddenly switch into new forms of crime that are completely alien to their criminal careers. Your choice.

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Do you know how identity theft works?

http://www.ktvb.com/story/news/local/2014/07/03/12178677/

Stolen from the trash.

Again. You think gangs are going to scoff at 5.6 billion? Especially if marijuana gets shut down? What % is pot of the drug trade? Hm?

stonewall50 said:

Do you know how identity theft works?

Check your trash to protect against identity theft

Stolen from the trash.

Again. You think gangs are going to scoff at 5.6 billion? Especially if marijuana gets shut down? What % is pot of the drug trade? Hm?

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Utter nonsense regurgitated by people who don't know anything about drugs or identity theft. Two entirely different demographics:

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) makes over 30,000 arrests each year related to the sales and distribution of illegal narcotics.
•Over 32 percent of all inmates in state prisons in the United States were either under the influence of drugs or in possession of drugs when arrested (that number is above 25 percent for federal prison inmates).
•Drug trafficking in Mexico is a business worth over $50 billion per year.
•It is believed that the loss of the drug trafficking industry in Mexico would cause that country’s economy to shrink by over 63 percent.
•Illicit drug use is associated with several leading causes of death in the United States, including suicide, homicide, motor-vehicle injury, HIV infection, pneumonia, violence, mental illness and hepatitis.
•There are over 4,400 DEA officers currently working full time in divisions dedicated to fighting drug sales and drug trafficking across the United States.
•In 2008, the DEA seized the following amounts of drugs within the borders of the United States:

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The best part is your own article even discusses that these gangs aren't even in the US. So what do we have? You claiming that when illegal drugs are no longer a big business (laughable really) they'll just switch to identity fraud. That ignores the fact that even legalized drugs are big business AND that you think that the average street level drug dealer in Baltimore will suddenly become well versed in federal bureaucracy to make less money than he would selling all of the other drugs will remain illegal (and expensive) well after marijuana is legalized.

Hatuey said:

Utter nonsense regurgitated by people who don't know anything about drugs or identity theft. Two entirely different demographics:



The best part is your own article even discusses that these gangs aren't even in the US. So what do we have? You claiming that when illegal drugs are no longer a big business (laughable really) they'll just switch to identity fraud. That ignores the fact that even legalized drugs are big business AND that you think that the average street level drug dealer in Baltimore will suddenly become well versed in federal bureaucracy to make less money than he would selling all of the other drugs will remain illegal (and expensive) well after marijuana is legalized.

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Your ASSumption is that you need to know federal law to steal an identity. Do you know how stupid that is?

stonewall50 said:

Your ASSumption is that you need to know federal law to steal an identity. Do you know how stupid that is?

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From your source:

But criminals are capitalizing on that system by buying personal information stolen from places such as hospitals, medical offices, schools and retirement programs. They then log onto state websites and file for unemployment benefits. Since the priority is for states to get the money out quickly, they don't wait for an employer to verify the identity of the person applying for the benefits. Victims typically don't find out what's happened until their employer is notified that they are receiving unemployment payments.

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It's almost like... they'd have to have a particular set of skills and knowledge to commit this crime. So I'll ask again, do you think the average HS drop out who sells meth in Arizona is going to suddenly become well versed in federal law and the bureaucracy that comes with it to make LESS money than he would selling ice?

Hatuey said:

You do realize that nowhere in your article there is mention of thieves getting information from a garbage can, right? This is people using legally purchased information, and then using federal bureaucracy to commit a crime, do you think this is something done by pushers, middlemen or wholesalers?

When pot is no longer legal, drug dealers will simply move on to other drugs which remain illegal (you know, blow, ice etc). The profits from that alone far exceed the profits from this crime. Look, we can beat around the bush and you can try and wiggle yourself out of your absurd statements or you can continue this absurd argument where people suddenly switch into new forms of crime that are completely alien to their criminal careers. Your choice.

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What do you mean "legally purchased information"? Since when is it legal to purchase stolen items including information?

Lutherf said:

What do you mean "legally purchased information"? Since when is it legal to purchase stolen items including information?

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I should have been a little clearer in that post. However, I'll do my best to explain this all. First, I'll post a little background on how identify fraud is committed:

The Top 50 Companies That Mine and Sell Your Data (and How to Opt Out)

We all know that our personal data is very valuable to marketers and other agencies—and that it's collected and sold by data brokers. StopDataMining.me is a master list of opt-out links to stop these data brokers from collecting information about your online and offline activities.

The list is similar to a previously featured compilation on Reddit, but seems to be more comprehensive. You'll find opt-out links and brief instructions for opting-out of (currently) 50 data mining companies, including data brokers Acxiom and Intelius, as well as direct marketers such as Valpak and Dex Media (distributors of phone books). (The image above, by the way, is from Axciom's own profile-revealing website, Aboutthedata.com, but since it requires you to verify information such as your last four SSN and birthday, privacy advocates suggest you skip the site.)

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While your actual medical records are protected by HIPAA, lots of personal health information can be inferred from your credit or debit card purchase history, as well as other sources, which may reveal whether you buy fast food or have a gym membership or go to the drug store regularly.

You may not mind that Amazon makes recommendations based on your previous purchases. But how would you feel if your doctor and insurer did the same?

Read more: Hospitals And Health Insurers Using Data Brokers - Business Insider

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Why big companies buy, sell your data - CNN.com

They know your name, your phone number, where you live, your buying habits and, in many cases, what you are interested in buying -- sometimes even before you do.

Meet Acxiom, sometimes described as "the biggest company you've never heard of." But they've heard a lot about you.

Acxiom is one of the largest data-brokering firms in the world. It is just one of hundreds of companies who are peering into your personal life, collecting data that is generated from everything you do online, and much of what you do in the real world.

The company recorded $1.1 billion in sales last year offering "analytical services" on 144 million households. And that's just a fraction of the evolving -- some say loosely regulated -- big-data industry. Data is now a $300 billion-a-year industry and employs 3 million people in the United States alone, according to the McKinsey Global Institute.

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The process to actually "steal" a lot of this information is entirely legal for the most part and why it is so hard to catch. That's about the only part of the article which seems to hold water in my opinion. Some 'Certified Visa Agent' will place a phone call, then they'll discuss your credit card statements with you (after using legally purchased information from the many businesses which provide it for a price). They'll ask to check your credit report through Equifax or some such cite which requires an SS number. They'll provide you with an alternative to your credit card problems at a small price (usually in the $30-$50USD range). They'll do this by opening up new credit card accounts with 0% interest rates (various car companies offer these) for a year and shuffling the numbers around the credit cards bit.

After that, they use the information which you have provided for nefarious purposes like filing for benefits. Sure, that part is illegal but for the most part, they're using information which is legally obtained. You'd be surprised at the number of people who give this information out to solve their credit card problems. Though I can't really find any statistics on it, there is a strong correlation between these crimes and credit card debt.

Source: I have come across quite a few people who work in that business