Identify Theft Insurance can help you recover from Identity theft, which involves perpetrators illegally obtaining the personal data and information of other people for the purpose of economic or other gains. It has become increasingly common over the past couple of years. Here are five cases of identity theft that made big news in 2014:
Paul E. Auguste’s tax fraud scheme using stolen identities
Auguste, a resident of Miami, Florida, had fraudulently obtained the personal information of over 2600 individuals, which he began selling for cash in September 2013. The information included the names, social security numbers and dates of birth of real Americans that was obtained in Philadelphia.
In December the same year, Auguste was approached by a law enforcement officer undercover, who bought the information belonging to 200 different people. These people had been registered as patients at a rehab facility in Philadelphia, from where the information was stolen. Auguste sold it for $2000.
The following month he sold the information of 60 individuals to another officer of the law and stated that he could sell 200 more pieces of personal identifying information. A search warrant was issued for his home and officers uncovered over 2000 related pieces of information in Auguste’s residence and car.
A court case followed and Auguste was charged with participation in identity theft. He revealed the plan to use the information for setting up a tax fraud scheme and steal government money. In July of 2014, Auguste was slapped an imprisonment of 61 months before being released under supervision.
Identity theft and credit card fraud scheme of Chouman Emily Syrilien and others
Another Florida resident, Syrilien was involved, with seven co-conspirators, in the theft of personal identifying information of unsuspecting Americans and using the data to gain unauthorized access to victims’ bank accounts. Syrilien obtained the information from her place of work, where customer files of AT&T were maintained. The information was then passed on unlawfully to other co-conspirators.
Perpetrators added themselves as authorized users on the bank accounts and credit cards of the victims of the identity theft. Then, they directed the banks and credit card companies to mail debit and credit cards bearing the new names of authorized users to the perpetrator’s address without informing account holders.
The cards where then used to withdraw money from bank accounts or to make costly purchases. Syrilien was the first to be tried in a court of law and sentenced to prison time and supervised release in August 2014. Others followed.
Identity theft and tax fraud scheme of Nydia Nelson and others
Nelson, along with two of her co-conspirators, was involved in the theft of the personal identifying information of students from the public school where one of the co-conspirators, Pamela Rhim Grant, worked. Pamela, an employee of a Florida public school, managed the food service at the middle school.
Her position allowed her access to the school’s digital database of student information, from where she hoped to steal the personal identifying information of both current and former students of the school. Between October 2012 and January 2014, she printed sheets of student information unlawfully. The information was passed on to the other two conspirators, who used students’ names, social security numbers and dates of birth to file fraudulent tax returns.
Money from the returns was directed to bank accounts or debit cards of Nelson, who paid Pamela $10 for each personal identifying information she stole from the school records. The three were fined heavily and sentenced to prison in July 2014.
Identity theft and $1.8 million income tax return fraud of Stephanie Patterson
Patterson was involved in a $1.8 million fraud along with another perpetrator, which resulted in the theft of personal identifying information of over 180 individuals. Together, they stole over $1.8 million from the government by making false tax return claims. Patterson’s role was to steal the information and her co-conspirator was involved in defrauding the Internal Revenue Service.
Patterson, a resident of Pennsylvania, had been previously involved in mail fraud and other income tax frauds as well. She was sentenced to a 42-months imprisonment term and slapped a fine of over $850,000.
Identity theft and social security fraud of Kevin Cimeus
Florida man, Kevin Cimeus, stole personal identifying information (names and social security numbers) of more than 2400 individuals, which he used to claim false tax returns. Cimeus was also convicted on three charges of theft of government money and property as well as five charges of aggravated identity theft, among others.
Cimeus is known to have recruited students from Florida’s Miami Dade College in his scheme, with the purpose of having enough bank accounts to receive tax money without raising suspicion. The man also used his own bank account to collect the money from 1000 different false tax return claims. He was sentenced to a 156-months prison time in September 2014 and will be released under supervision.
What can you do?
Honest, hardworking taxpayers, unsuspecting customers, recovering patients, it doesn’t matter – unscrupulous identity thieves spare no one, not even innocent school students. There are a number of things that you can do to lessen the chance that your identity is ever stolen, but there are no guarantees. And while identity theft insurance can’t prevent identity theft from happening, it can help you with the expense of reclaiming your good name.
