The Threat is Real: 5 Recent Cases of Identity Theft

Any discussion of data and document security and paper shredding naturally involves talking about the dangers of identity theft. Unfortunately, it’s very common to think that “it will never happen to me,” but as we’ve shown in the past, identity theft is a real threat.

5 stories from this month involving identity theft:

In the interest of keeping up with the current threats to identities and personal data, here are 5 stories from this month involving identity theft:

1. A New York woman was recently indicted after falsely claiming to be the aunt of one of the 20 schoolchildren killed at Sandy Hook in December. Though she collected less than $250, she faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
2. A recent spree of identity theft cases in Tifton, Georgia has resulted in 14 arrests, with the total number of charges of identity theft for all involved reaching well over 500 counts. Local authorities believe that many of the identities stolen were taken when individuals gave out their information to non-reputable businesses.
3. Two brothers from Sacramento, California pleaded guilty to charges of identity theft and bank fraud after stealing mail to obtain bank and credit card information. The brothers purchased high-value items with the information and are currently being held in federal custody.
4. A woman from Jackson, Mississippi was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to identity theft and other crimes. She obtained credit card and other personal information while working as a receptionist, and purchased over $13,000 in goods with the information she stole.
5. An identity theft victim from Lincoln, Nebraska helped find her identity thief in an identity theft story with an unusually good ending. After having her driver’s license stolen (which the identity thief used to set up bank accounts and write bad checks), the Lincoln woman tracked down her thief by posting her picture online.

While it’s easy to forget that identity theft is a real threat, it’s actually happening every day—and should be treated accordingly. Doing due diligence before giving out personal information, and only purchasing goods or services at reputable businesses, will help keep your information safe.

Protecting You from Identity Theft

As a business, it’s also your job to protect your customers’ data from identity theft. Make sure you’re doing everything you can to combat this problem by contacting DataShield today. It’s not only the right thing to do—it’s a legal issue as well, so make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your customers safe.