The Internal Revenue Service lost millions of taxpayer records and federal employees don’t know where they have gone.
Lawmakers want answers and accountability for the IRS over those documents, which could be used by nefarious actors to steal Americans’ identity.
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) recently announced that special agents with the agency have completed an investigation originating from a complaint of a Clarksville woman withdrawing large amounts of money from her elderly client’s account.
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South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is demanding answers after her and her family’s social security numbers were published online as part of the House Jan. 6 committee’s records.
Noem’s attorney sent a letter Friday to the White House, the Government Publishing Office, the National Archives and Jan. 6 committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), asking who was responsible for the leak and what remedies will be taken to protect the governor and her family.
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The Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Central Virginia announced in a press release it will be holding its annual “Secure Your ID/Shred Day” this Saturday, April 23rd, in Glen Allen.
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The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) warned Tennesseans of identity theft during their Identity Theft Awareness Week. The week (Jan. 31 – Feb. 4, 2022) will include events to help spread awareness on the various forms of online theft, and how to protect personal information.
According to the statement, the Federal Trade Commission’s Sentinel Network identified over 15,000 instances of identity theft across Tennessee in 2021.
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Two Georgia residents were sentenced to federal prison, following a scheme that sought to steal the identity of elderly individuals.
The two criminals, Durrell Tyler and DeShawn Johnson, both plead guilty to charges of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
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U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) and three other congressmen have introduced legislation that aims to modernize the United States’ digital identity infrastructure and protect Americans from having their personal information stolen. This, according to an emailed newsletter that Loudermilk sent his constituents Friday.
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Maryland officials say they suspect over 508,000 new, potentially fraudulent unemployment claims have been filed since May.
The announcement Monday followed the state saying it has verified over 1.3 million fraudulent claims since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic.
The most common means of filing a fraudulent claim is identity theft, according to CNN.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has suspended Waynesboro Mayor Gregory Carswell Jr. from office after the mayor’s indictment on felony fraud, forgery and theft charges.
Carswell, an evangelical pastor, was elected mayor of the city outside of Augusta in 2017. He was indicted in December on one count of identity fraud, one count of theft by taking, one count of theft by deception and one count of forgery in the second degree. Carswell announced May 17 he was taking a leave of absence as mayor because of his legal troubles and personal issues.
“Of course, you know we have legal issues that are going on, and we want to deal with those, and we want the citizens to have the full confidence and trust and knowing the people they elected are going to do the best things for them,” Carswell said at the May 17 city council meeting.
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The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that state governments can prosecute illegal aliens of identity theft, including aliens who use false Social Security numbers to unlawfully gain employment.
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Lawyer Michael Avenatti was charged with 36 counts of fraud, tax evasion, identity theft and other financial crimes in an indictment made public by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles on Thursday. The indictment came about three weeks after Avenatti, best known for representing adult film star Stormy Daniels in her legal battles with U.S. President Donald Trump, was arrested in New York on two separate criminal complaints filed by federal prosecutors in New York and California. The indictment means the grand jury has found the California prosecutors have probable cause to pursue their charges. Avenatti has said he is innocent. I intend to fully fight all charges and plead NOT GUILTY. I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version meant to sideline me. — Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 11, 2019 “I intend to fully fight all charges and plead NOT GUILTY. I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version meant to sideline me,” Avenatti wrote on Twitter on Thursday. The Los Angeles prosecutors have accused Avenatti of misusing a client’s $1.6 million settlement to pay for his own expenses as well as those for his coffee…
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The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) arrested 20 men and women in Memphis this week for using fraudulent identification documents to get jobs at Expeditors International. Homeland Security Investigations worked with THP on the case, said Thomas Byrd, a spokesman for U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “It’s a state level investigation and we assisted,” Byrd told The Tennessee Star. “We did not detain anyone. Everyone arrested was detained by THP.” Expeditors International is a global logistics company headquartered in Seattle. The individuals arrested were trying to land jobs with a temp agency that contracts with Expeditors, reports WREG News Channel 3. They were arrested Tuesday morning at the company’s Hickory Hill warehouse and charged with forgery and criminal simulation. Expeditors issued a statement indicating its willingness to cooperate with authorities. Those arrested presented fraudulent permanent resident and social security cards as well as Tennessee driver’s licenses, according to a THP news release. The immigration activist group Latino Memphis raised questions about the arrests as details were unfolding. “It’s a reality that immigrants have to find documentation to work,” Mauricio Calvo, the group’s executive director, told WREG. “It’s ironic that working is a crime.” But THP Colonel Tracy Trott said that…
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Uber endured a data breach that allowed hackers to steal the personal information of more than 57 million users, the ride share company’s chief executive acknowledged Tuesday. Hackers accessed a third-party server used by Uber in late 2016 and gleaned the names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers of 57 million ride share users, as well…
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If one consumer advocacy group gets its way, people affected by the Equifax data breach could be compensated from a fund created by the company. That is just one of seven demands proposed by the Consumers Union, the policy and action division of Consumer Reports. The proposals come after the Atlanta-based credit bureau announced that its…
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Johnathon Cox Griswold, a staffer in Senator Lamar Alexander’s Knoxville office, has resigned as a result of felony identity theft charges filed in February. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports: A staffer with U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s Knoxville office has resigned after being charged with felony identity theft for allegedly withdrawing approximately $6,000 using a stolen bank debit card, according to an arrest warrant. Jonathan Cox Griswold, 38, was charged Feb. 21 after being captured on a surveillance camera making multiple withdrawals from an ATM at Home Federal Bank, 5538 Kingston Pike, using the victim’s personal identification number and card, the warrant reads. David Cleary, Senator Alexander’s Chief of Staff said in a statement that while the Senator is disappointed to hear of Griswold’s arrest, as far as he knows, the alleged wrongdoing is unconnected to his official duties in Knoxville. Griswold’s arraignment is set for April 13 in Knox County General Sessions Court.
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