D.A. issues 149 counts of ID theft related charges on Brooklyn man
November 3, 2009 – 6:07 pm
Parents tell their kids “you can grow up to be whatever you want to be” all the time. Maybe it’s time to rethink that or, at the very least, add a disclaimer. “You can grow up to be whatever you want to be*… *as long as it involves being law-abiding, not taking advantage of others and not ripping off not-for-profit charities. Maybe then we wouldn’t have cases like this on our hands.
The Manhattan District Attorney filed 149 counts of identity theft, grand larceny, money laundering, computer tampering, scheming to defraud and unlawful possession of personal identification information on a 27-year old computer technician this week. The defendant is believed to have used his IT technician status to steal the identities of 150 employees of the Bank of New York over nearly an eight year period. He then used those 150 identities to open more than 30 bank and brokerage accounts with financial institutions like Wachovia, E*Trade, Washington Mutual, Citi Bank and Fidelity which resulted in more than $1,100,000 in theft — most against charities and non-profits.
The man was caught after suspicious internet activity triggered an investigation by the New York/New Jersey Electronic Crimes Task Force (Secret Service). A search of the man’s residence uncovered credit reports of Bank of New York employees along with other personal information.
As we’ve said before, protecting yourself against ID theft isn’t something you can do by yourself. No matter how careful you are with your own information, there are plenty of institutions and companies that aren’t. Make sure you do all you can to not end up in a similar situation.
Tags: 149 counts, bank of new york, charities, citi, e*trade, fidelity, fraud, ID theft, identity theft, LifeLock, wachovia, washington mutual
