Identity Theft News

Pay Day Loan Collection Scam

The District Attorney's Office has received numberous calls from consumers who have received threatenting phone calls from perpetrators who claim to be trying to collect on an unpaid "pay day" loan. The callers are pretending to be law enforcement agents or attorneys who threaten the victims with immediate arrest if they do not make payment on a loan they took, but did not repay. The majority of targets have never taken a pay day loan, so are immediately suspicious of the calls. The callers, however, continue to call, becoming more aggressive and threatening with each new call. Several callers have reported feeling very threatened and anxious after receiving these calls.

The District Attorney advises that these callers are believed to be outside of the United States and pose no imminent threat to Colorado residents. Any request to immediately wire funds to the caller, or to provide a credit card number for payment should be ignored. If you have ever recieved a pay day loan and want to insure that there is not a collection in process, contact the pay day loan outlet where you arranged the loan. Do NOT seek information from the person who is threatening you. And if the calls continue, just hang up. Do not engage the caller in any future conversation. Eventually the calls will stop when the caller realizes you are not going to fall for his/her scam. If you have any questions or need help with one of these scams, contact your local law enforcement agency.

Brought to you by:Attorney General Carol Chambers 5-16-11

Fort Collins man sentenced to 6 years for identity theft

2:18 PM, May. 25, 2011

 On Monday, a judge sentenced Todd James Kraft, 27, of Fort Collins, to six years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after Kraft pleaded guilty to identity theft.

In April, Kraft pleaded guilty to three counts of identity theft, all class 4 felonies. The charges followed an extensive investigation by the Northern Colorado Financial Crimes Task Force, with the assistance of the United States Secret Service...

Click here to read full article

brought to you by the coloradoan.com

Brought to you by Shrednations

The Mafia and Identity Theft

LexisNexis has warned warned 13,329 consumers that their data may have been compromised. The data was in the sensitive Seisint databases that were once used to track terrorists.

The data was breached by Lee Klein of Boynton Beach, Florida. Lee is part of the Bonanno crime family in Florida. The Bonanno family used the information for a fake check-cashing operation, potential extortion or assault targets, and to find individuals suspected of being involved with law enforcement.

It appears LexisNexis sold Lee access to the databases. Read the full story

Brought to you by Shrednations

New Mexico Identity Theft Ring Broken Up

New Mexico police have broken up an identity theft ring. What is interesting is where they were able to get the information. Three sources used were stolen purses, stolen records from the DMV and from stolen mail. Apparently the group had a postmaster key that allowed them to access any mailbox.

When mailing information there is not substitute for going to the post office. Better yet, move to electronic statements and bill paying. The security is better, the fraud is found faster, and you save a tree or two.