The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, tax season kicks off January 23, and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) reminds U.S. taxpayers to take extra steps to protect their identities and wallets when filing their taxes.
Continue reading IRS Issues Tips to Protect Your Wallet, identity this Tax Season
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood blog has reported on a number of consumer frauds over the years focusing primarily on the seniors being taken advantage of in Bergen County the FTC’s new Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book points out the younger people may be the victims of fraud far more often.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Wyckoff NJ, a Bergen County, New Jersey, man was arrested today on charges of engaging in mortgage fraud, fraudulently obtaining an SBA loan, and stealing another person’s identity information, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
NJ Attorney General encourages identity fraud ?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo, and Division on Civil Rights Director Rachel Wainer Apter today issued joint guidance to New Jersey employers concerning letters they may have received from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) that flag discrepancies between some of their employees’ names and Social Security numbers.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog,
Fort Lee NJ, a Bergen County, New Jersey, woman today admitted engaging in a fraudulent scheme through which over $300,000 in purchases were charged or attempted to be charged to victims’ financial accounts without authorization, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Briana Burford, 25, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court to an information charging her with wire fraud.
April 13,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, Ridgewood residents report a rash of identity fraud. It seems to be the crime of choice lately. Identity fraud is a crime where one person uses another person’s personal data, without authorization, to deceive or defraud someone else. For example, it is identity fraud to use someone’s personal information to open a credit card account without permission, and then charge merchandise to that account.
On April 1st, a Jefferson Street resident reported that he was locked out of his bank account. Upon contacting his bank, he discovered that an unknown party had attempted to have a new bank card issued in his name, but sent to a Brooklyn N.Y. address. There were no fraudulent charges made to the account and the bank is taking steps to rectify the matter.
On April 1st, a West Ridgewood Avenue resident noticed four charges, totaling approximately $1300 that she did not make on her Google wallet account. The bank will reimburse the victim the total sum of the money. The banks Fraud Prevention unit will be investigating the matter.
On April 4th, a Richards Road resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report that his identity had been fraudulently used. The Victim stated that he received notification from his bank that an unidentified person opened a line of credit using his name. The credit line has been cancelled and the victim is in the process of disputing the charges with his bank.
On April 8th, a Ridgewood Avenue resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report that his identity had been fraudulently used. He reported that unknown actors used his identity to open multiple accounts and make various unauthorized transactions. The involved companies’ fraud prevention units are investigating.
file photo by Boyd Loving
Janaury 27,2017
Complied by the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report two Village burglaries; A Bingham Road resident discovered his home had been burglarized upon arriving home on January 22. The resident reported he discovered a first floor window had been broken by a rock and unlawfully entered. The residents checked the interior of the residence but found nothing missing. Det. Douglas Henky responded to the scene to investigate the burglary, criminal trespass and criminal mischief, however the homeowner declined to have the Bergen County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit respond to process the scene. The Ridgewood Detective Bureau photographed the scene and is investigating the incident.
On January 23, patrol units responded to a report of a burglary in the past on Spring Avenue. The house was discovered to have been entered between 12:30pm and 1:52pm by an unknown actor forcefully making entry. The residence was found to have been ransacked and jewelry, silverware and other various items were reported to have been stolen. Det. Jeffrey Casson responded to the scene to investigate and requested the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Unit to respond. Upon arrival, B.C.I. investigated and processed the scene along with the Ridgewood Detective Bureau.
Thefts at Valley Hospital; On January 19, a Hawthorne, N.J. resident reported the theft of a mobile device while at the Valley Hospital. The victim reported the cell phone was left unattended for a short time in a hospital office and when the employee returned she discovered it missing. The Apple IPhone 6 is valued at $700.
A parked vehical break in ; A Midland Park, N.J. resident reported on January 21, a theft occurred from his vehicle while it was parked unattended in the Village of Ridgewood between 1/19/17 and 1/21/17. The victim reported the unknown actor stole approximately $440 in contracting equipment. The Ridgewood Detective Bureau is investigating the incident.
The Ridgewood Police also report a string on identity theft; On January 20, a North Monroe Street resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report identity theft. The victim reported an unknown person entered a Chase Bank in Columbus, Ohio using the victim’s identity and cashed two cashier’s checks from the victim’s accounts, which totaled $4800. The bank is investigating the incident. The victim was provided a Ridgewood Police identity theft information form.
On January 21, a Sheffield Road resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report identity theft and fraud. The victim reported an unknown actor withdrew $3200 from his TD Bank savings account and $700 from his TD Bank checking account at a branch in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. TD Bank advised the victim the actor utilized a N.J. Driver’s License to make the withdrawal. The Driver’s License has been discovered to be a fraudulent identification. The Ridgewood Detective Bureau is investigating the incident.
All actors are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
August 22,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, once again Ridgewood Police report incidence of “Identity Fraud . On 8/9/16 a Woodside Avenue resident responded to headquarters to report an incident of fraud in the past. The victim reported an unknown person made a purchase using the victim’s PNC debit card in the amount of $1910.76 in Flushing, N.Y. The victim reported PNC Debit Card Fraud department was notified and investigating the incident.
A Hawthorne Place resident reported a theft of impersonation on 8/12/16. The resident reported an unknown person utilized his personal identity to submit a tax return. The resident contacted the IRS and made notification of the fraud.
According to the US Department of Justice these are the most common ways to commit identity theft or fraud;
Many people do not realize how easily criminals can obtain our personal data without having to break into our homes. In public places, for example, criminals may engage in “shoulder surfing”  watching you from a nearby location as you punch in your telephone calling card number or credit card number  or listen in on your conversation if you give your credit-card number over the telephone to a hotel or rental car company.
If you receive applications for “pre-approved” credit cards in the mail, but discard them without tearing up the enclosed materials, criminals may retrieve them and try to activate the cards for their use without your knowledge. (Some credit card companies, when sending credit cards, have adopted security measures that allow a card recipient to activate the card only from his or her home telephone number but this is not yet a universal practice.) Also, if your mail is delivered to a place where others have ready access to it, criminals may simply intercept and redirect your mail to another location.
In recent years, the Internet has become an appealing place for criminals to obtain identifying data, such as passwords or even banking information. In their haste to explore the exciting features of the Internet, many people respond to “spam”  unsolicited E-mail  that promises them some benefit but requests identifying data, without realizing that in many cases, the requester has no intention of keeping his promise. In some cases, criminals reportedly have used computer technology to obtain large amounts of personal data.
With enough identifying information about an individual, a criminal can take over that individual’s identity to conduct a wide range of crimes: for example, false applications for loans and credit cards, fraudulent withdrawals from bank accounts, fraudulent use of telephone calling cards, or obtaining other goods or privileges which the criminal might be denied if he were to use his real name. If the criminal takes steps to ensure that bills for the falsely obtained credit cards, or bank statements showing the unauthorized withdrawals, are sent to an address other than the victim’s, the victim may not become aware of what is happening until the criminal has already inflicted substantial damage on the victim’s assets, credit, and reputation.
Harriet Taylor | @Harri8t
Cybercriminals don’t care that much about your credit card number anymore.
Uber, PayPal and even Netflix accounts have become much more valuable to criminals, as evidenced by the price these stolen identifiers now fetch on the so-called “deep Web,” according to security company Trend Micro.
Stolen Uber account information on underground marketplaces sells for an average of $3.78 per account, while personally identifiable information (PII) was listed for $1 to $3.30 on average, oddly down from $4 per record in 2014, according to data compiled by Trend Micro for CNBC last week. (PII includes any information that can be used to commit identity fraud, like Social Security numbers or date of birth and varies in price depending on the specific information for sale.)
https://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/19/stolen-uber-accounts-worth-more-than-stolen-credit-cards.html
Six from Secaucus among a dozen suspects charged in ID fraud ring that stole $3M
DECEMBER 9, 2015, 5:04 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015, 6:17 PM
BY JOHN SEASLY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A dozen people face first-degree money-laundering charges after they allegedly stole about $3 million from banks in an elaborate scheme involving fake identities, bad checks and hundreds of credit cards, state acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said Wednesday.
Many of those charged are from Secaucus or Jersey City, and all but one have been arrested, Hoffman said.
The group allegedly created “synthetic” identities by combining real Social Security numbers with fake names and birth dates so they could open numerous checking and credit card accounts online. Authorities allege that through bad checks, the accused deposited money into the accounts, which they then used to pay off credit cards, increasing the cards’ credit limits. They allegedly also withdrew the money from ATMs and via money orders before the bad checks were discovered.
False “merchants” created shell businesses solely to participate in the scheme, Hoffman said. Those businesses swiped the fraudulent credit cards for nonexistent purchases, then received reimbursement from credit card processing companies.
“While the credit card holders, businesses and purchases in this scheme were fictitious, the losses suffered by the banks were very real and totaled an alarming $3 million,” Hoffman said.
The 12 charged allegedly split the proceeds, while the bank accounts of the fake businesses were used to launder the money, with checks written from one company to another as if they were doing business, Hoffman said.
The scam was active from 2012 to 2015 and involved hundreds of credit cards and millions of dollars in fake transactions, said state Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie Honig.
“All of the agencies involved deserve great credit for unraveling this tangled scheme and obtaining the evidence necessary to prosecute these individuals to the full extent of the law,” Honig said.
Grand jury in N.J. indicts alleged leader of multimillion-dollar ATM-skimming ring
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2014, 3:45 PM
THE RECORD
A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted the alleged leader behind a large-scale ATM skimming operation that siphoned more than $5 million from bank customers in Bergen and Passaic counties and across the tri-state area, authorities said.
Marius Vintila, 31, a native of Romania, fled the New York area as investigators began arresting members of his ring last July. Two months later, he was caught in Sweden and subsequently extradited to the United States to face charges.
A grand jury in Newark indicted Vintila on six counts: conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to possess and possession of 15 or more counterfeit and unauthorized ATM cards, and conspiracy to possess and possession of card-making equipment. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 69 years in prison.
Authorities allege Vintila headed one of the largest skimming operations ever uncovered by law enforcement. To date, 12 others, also mostly Romanian citizens who lived in Queens, N.Y., have been charged in New Jersey in connection with the schem
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/Grand_jury_indicts_alleged_leader_of_multi-million_ATM-skimming_ring_.html#sthash.cD7gCzLO.dpuf