The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, act as legal, financial or credit advice; instead, it is for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not be current. This website may contain links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser; we do not recommend or endorse the contents of any third-party sites. Readers of this website should contact their attorney, accountant or credit counselor to obtain advice with respect to their particular situation. No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or not act on the basis of information on this site. Always seek personal legal, financial or credit advice for your relevant jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney or advisor can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. Use of, and access to, this website or any of the links or resources contained within the site do not create an attorney-client or fiduciary relationship between the reader, user, or browser and website owner, authors, contributors, contributing firms, or their respective employers.
Credit.com receives compensation for the financial products and services advertised on this site if our users apply for and sign up for any of them. Compensation is not a factor in the substantive evaluation of any product.
A Florida woman who stole more than 700 identities was sentenced to five years and 10 months in federal prison, the Florida Sun-Sentinel reported last week. Earlier this year, Tia Lashonda Miller, 39, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession and aggravated identity theft.
Police caught on to Miller’s escapades in 2012, when she was arrested for using a credit card not in her name and breaking into cars at a shopping mall. They found a notebook full of what turned out to be others’ credit card and personal information, setting off an Internal Revenue Service investigation.
Miller and two others filled such notebooks after breaking into people’s cars and mailboxes, stealing credit cards and mail, and recorded victims’ names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, said a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida. The scheme, which involved 726 victims, largely fueled tax return fraud, though the amount she may have received through fraudulent tax returns wasn’t specified.
Miller’s identity theft tactics required a lot of legwork and only affected a small geographic area, but her story doesn’t diminish the threat of having your data or possessions stolen in public places. Other than taking common-sense approaches like shredding sensitive information, locking your car and checking your mail daily, there’s often not much you can do to avoid falling victim to an identity thief.
Your best shot at protecting your assets is to check your financial statements and credit standing often, because sudden or unexpected shifts in your data can indicate you’re a victim of fraud. Mobile banking makes it easy and accessible to stay on top of your transaction history, and tools like free annual credit reports and scores give you another point of reference for knowing you’re in control of your money and identity. You can get your free credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com, and you can see two of your credit scores for free through Credit.com.
Image: TimArbaev
April 11, 2023
Uncategorized
September 13, 2021
Uncategorized
August 4, 2021
Uncategorized