Free Republic

MADISON, Wis. — Could it be a case of John Doe collateral damage? At least one target of Wisconsin’s politically charged John Doe investigation — whose home was raided and whose personal information was seized — tells Wisconsin Reporter they’re a victim of identity theft. The individual spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe comes with a strict gag order. Targets who speak publicly about the John Doe could go to jail. Wisconsin Reporter obtained a copy of an Internal Revenue Service letter alerting the subject to the identify theft problem. The letter, titled, “Identity Verification Service,” advises that...

Although the worldwide population of persons older than 112 years of age is estimated to be only three dozen, an investigation by the inspector general revealed that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has active accounts for 6.5 million persons over that age. Obviously, there aren’t really 6.5 million persons that old living in America. Obviously, many recipients who have been long dead are regularly mailed benefits checks by SSA. Obviously, millions of identities have been stolen and are being used to rack up potential benefits. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis) and Tom Carper (D-Del), who head the Senate committee that oversees...

There are more than 6.5 million Americans over the age of 112, according to the Social Security Administration. If you are wondering about the accuracy of this count, you are not alone.After a man attempted to open bank accounts using active Social Security Numbers from both 1869 and 1893, the Office of the Inspector General decided to audit the SSA. They found that as of Oct. 2013, only 35 known individuals over the age of 112 are still living worldwide.The SSA’s Numerical Identification System (often shortened to Numident), contains all the Social Security Numbers tracing back to 1936 when they were...

Anthony David is in trouble after he allegedly stole his neighbor's credit card and charged things like meals, lawyers fees, oh and he did take the neighbors to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on their credit card.

Illegal aliens may enjoy a free pass on identity theft due to a new investigative policy at California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Last month, Senator Dianne Feinstein and other Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released the executive summary of their final report investigating the CIA's controversial detention and interrogation program. As part of their study, the Democrats compiled twenty case studies, which were intended to address claims made by the CIA regarding the efficacy of its interrogations. One of those case studies focused on the identification and arrest of Ali Saleh Kahlah al Marri, who was freed from a US prison just days ago. Al Marri served as a "sleeper" operative for al Qaeda inside the US in 2001....

If you have a recently issued credit or debit card, there is a very good chance it has an RFID chip in it that will transmit your card information to any nearby reader. Many of the newer model smartphones are RFID enabled and make it possible for someone standing next to you in line at the grocery store or at the train station to steal your identity and your money. Just wanted to raise awareness of this risk and create an opportunity to share ideas on how to mitigate this risk. I disabled the chip in my cards with a...

resident Obama is poised to show his "compassion" this week by granting work cards to an estimated five million illegal immigrants through an imperial executive order. As for the vast, untold number of law-abiding citizens whose identities have been stolen by foreign law-breakers, two words: Tough luck. Social Security card fraudsters have made out like bandits thanks to the White House. Their victims are about to get kicked in the teeth again. Two years ago, when Obama launched his first administrative amnesty known as "DACA" (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), the White House gave aid and comfort to illegal alien...

Federal Court Says the Government Can Impersonate You on Social Media — and There’s Not Much You Can Do About It Imagine finding out you have a Facebook page that you didn’t actually create. It has your name, your private photos and all of your personal information — none of which you posted. That’s the discovery New York resident Sondra Prince made. Prince, formerly Sondra Arquiett, alleges that after she was arrested on drug charges in 2010, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration used the photos on her confiscated cellphone to create Facebook profile in her name and without her consent....

The Justice Department is claiming, in a little-noticed court filing, that a federal agent had the right to impersonate a young woman online by creating a Facebook page in her name without her knowledge. Government lawyers also are defending the agent’s right to scour the woman’s seized cellphone and to post photographs — including racy pictures of her and even one of her young son and niece — to the phony social media account, which the agent was using to communicate with suspected criminals. The woman, Sondra Arquiett, who then went by the name Sondra Prince, first learned her identity...

It's hard to keep up with the privacy-threatening shenanigans at the Internal Revenue Service, but let's give it a try. Just days after revealing that the tax agency's failure to follow its own rules put the private data of 1.4 million people at risk, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration publicized the sentencing of Tax Examining Technician Missy Sledge for aggravated identity theft and mail fraud, and IRS employee Monica Hernandez for making and subscribing a false income tax return, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. According to the Inspector General's Office, "as part of her official IRS duties,...

Today is payday for my daughter. This morning she checked her bank account and found a charge for almost $700 from an Apple store in California. We live in SC. She had to go to the bank and try to get it straightened out. It will be several days before she gets her money back. How does this happen and what can you do to protect yourself? I am outraged and feel like the chances of catching who did it are slim.

ALBANY, N.Y. - Sen. Charles Schumer is calling for a so-called "bill of rights" for victims of Social Security identity theft. The New York Democrat said Wednesday that he's pushing legislation that would enhance the penalties for thieves who use a person's Social Security number without their consent.

By Richard Davies @daviesnow Sep 9, 2014 9:03am Home Depot (HD) Hack Could Be Biggest Card Breach Ever Morning Money Memo: The huge hacking attack against Home Depot’s payment systems could turn out to be the biggest breach of any retailer’s data so far. The company confirmed the data break-in but did not say how many credit and data cards are affected. The total could be as much as 60 million, according to several experts. That would be far more than the total number of cardholders impacted by the breach at Target stores. There is no evidence that any debit...

Eighteen people were arrested Tuesday for their connection to a worldwide crime ring involving stolen cell phones and identities, which was centered in the Twin Cities. Many cell phones were bought with stolen identities from Minnesotans and sold for profits of up to 1,000 percent in places like China, according to federal investigators. Twenty people were involved in the sale of potentially tens of thousands of stolen phones, which could be worth tens of millions of dollars, according to officials. Some of the suspects appear to have a criminal history involving; theft, assault and using a fake name.

In Campbell, Wisconsin, political retaliation has sunk to a new low. Police Chief Tim Kelemen just closed a plea deal for using local Tea Party leader Greg Luce’s personal information to sign him up for gay dating websites, pornography websites, and – the icing on the cake – HealthCare.gov. These actions could fall under the definition of identity theft, which carries serious penalties. Depending on the severity, the fraudulent use of another’s identifying information could earn up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Why did the police chief flagrantly break the public’s trust? Over a political disagreement....

Federal prosecutors say a former Fresno IRS employee stole the identities of her co-workers and opened credit cards to go on shopping sprees with friends. U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner said Tuesday that 30-year-old Viririana Hernandez and three others stole $1.2 million from 160 people, many of them IRS employees. Prosecutors say they bought home goods, jewelry and clothes. A grand jury on Friday indicted the four Fresno County residents on 23 counts, charging them with conspiracy, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say the alleged identity theft unfolded from June 2012 to January 2014. Prosecutors say Hernandez, who had...

A prosecutor plans to charge a western Wisconsin police chief with a misdemeanor for allegedly registering a tea party leader on gay dating, pornography and federal health care websites. Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger told The Associated Press he plans to charge Town of Campbell Police Chief Tim Kelemen with misdemeanor unlawful use of a computerized communication system Thursday afternoon. Kelemen would face up to $1,000 in fines and 90 days in jail if convicted, but would still be able to stay on as police chief. Only those with felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions related to domestic violence are...

PITTSBURGH —As many as 27,000 UPMC employees may have had their personal information exposed in a data breach and nearly 800 have been victimized by tax fraud, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit confirmed Thursday evening. "We want to assure our patients that no patient information was breached," media relations director Gloria Kreps said in a statement. Employees of the several Pittsburgh-area hospitals told Pittsburgh's Action News 4 that they received a packet in the mail, telling them that their information was stolen and what they need to do to protect themselves. "We're telling our employees that they should take steps...

Identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States, can include credit card fraud, government identity theft and medical identity theft. It can also include stealing the identity of someone who has died, as Ohio fraud victim Lindsey Reichheld recently discovered. While the family of Amy Reichheld mourned her death, the identity thieves got busy. Their strategy was to simply spend $10 to purchase a copy of her death certificate. When Reichheld inquired about who was behind the purchase, she said a town official told her, "Anyone can walk in and they don't keep track of it."...