Multi-Million Dollar Credit Card Scam Busted In Queens

2009_05_creadqa.jpg The Queens DA's office and NYPD announced that they broke up an international major identity theft and credit card ring. The scam, which cost individuals and banks $15 million, has roots in—wait for it—Nigeria, involved the suspects using "spoofing" technology. The suspects would call credit card companies, masked their voices, and were able to "spoof" the companies into thinking they were calling from the cardholder's actual phone number, allowing them to change PIN numbers, order new cards and increase credit lines. Then they would buy expensive items, take out cash, or sell the cards to foreign buyers. The Daily News reports, "The scam was discovered nearly two years ago when a Queens Realtor opened a package meant for one of his employees and found 60 credit cards - the type 'normally issued in anticipation of a customer's card expiring,' [Police Commissioner] Kelly said."

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Comments (2) [rss]

thanks to the proliferation of stupid fucking companies that offer "caller id spoofing" as a service. we've got to deal with more privacy and fraud issues than before.

if you haven't known people, this same "spoofing" ability allows certain folks to access voicemail systems that they wouldn't know the password to.

lord save us all!

So it took an employer committing mail fraud to discover an employee engaged in ID theft, larceny, and all sorts of fun-sounding federal charges? Niiiiice.

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