Now, this is just my opinion.  And often, this type of fraud often targets seniors who can lose their life savings at a time where they can no longer make up for it.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Recently, The Georgia department of justice sentenced this man,(photo) Aaron Jamal Denzel Austin, age 33 to a prison sentence on July 28, 2023. 

He is from Macon, Georgia and is to serve 48 months in prison followed by 3 yrs of supervised release.

By now, we all know that identity theft is one of the most frequent crimes today.   In fact,Vera voice statistics state that around 1 in 3 Americans have experienced identity theft or 33% of all US citizens have been victims of identity theft at some point in their lives. It is one of the fastest growing form of fraud today.

Unfortunately, often organized crime groups and foreign criminal enterprises are the culprits behind this type of crime.

Now, I do feel because it is a white collar crime, often the prison sentences are lower than maybe they should be. Just look at all the wall Street shenanigans and how many went to prison for stealing out money? Just digressing.

Now, this is just my opinion.  And often, this type of fraud often targets seniors who can lose their life savings at a time where they can no longer make up for it.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Recently, The Georgia department of justice sentenced this man,(photo) Aaron Jamal Denzel Austin, age 33 to a prison sentence on July 28, 2023. 

He is from Macon, Georgia and is to serve 48 months in prison followed by 3 yrs of supervised release.

The US district Judge Marc Treadwell sentenced him after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. It was also said that there is no parole in the federal system.

In this case, the defendant used stolen personal information to execute a variety of schemes. From registering fake businesses so he could get large credit lines to depositing a stolen 49,000 check.

This is an example of how criminals are always looking for ways to commit fraud. And it can pay off handsomely.

Also important, was that he was NOT found out because of something online, or in a white collar way.

In Jan 2020, he was stopped for reckless driving and not not staying in his lane. During that stop, officers found that Austin had 8 debit cards and 3 drivers licenses belonging to other people

Later, they found that he had worked at an Atlanta club. It could have been how he was able to come in contact with other people and got some stolen identities. But that is my speculation. I don’t know.

According to a press release from the United State Attorney’s office (Middle district of Georgia) on identity theft investigation, Sheriffs deputies found 8 debit cards and 3 drivers licenses belonging to other people in his possession during a traffic stop for reckless driving. Later, it was found that he used 2 stolen identities to register 2 separate businesses and get two capital one business credit cards with credit limits of 30,000 and 20,000. This defendant also recruited individuals to allow him to use their bank accounts to conduct fraudulent transactions.

He stole a 49,000 check from a New York couple into a co conspirator’s account. All together, they found 23 actual and intended victims; Austin is being held accountable for a total loss of 100,000.

Assistant US attorney Joy Odom prosecuted the case. This was updated on July 31, 2023.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/macon-man-sentenced-prison-resulting-identity-theft-investigation

Investigators also found text messages between Austin and other people discussing criminal fraud and getting social security numbers, exchanging a victims banking user name and password. And how to call banks to learn account balances and other victim information. So apparently this could have been a criminal ring, but I could not conclusively find enough information to make that claim.

So, what lessons can we learn from this today:

Most scammers want money. To get it, they try many ways to appear legitimate in order to get your private information, or get you to transfer them money. They are also very persuasive on the phone. Often seniors are more trusting when someone appears to be a person of authority on the phone.

So, the first one is that we all need to be skeptical when you answer phone calls from people you don’t know.

Do not just give out your DOB, Credit card number or personal information.

If you do get a text mail, or email telling you that your bank account has been compromised, please go directly to the bank, or check the website first

This is one example that it is so important to keep sensitive documents, like bank statements, medical reports and passports safe. You should also keep track of your social security card, and drivers license safe from falling into the wrong hand.

Credit card scams are on the top list of identity crimes. If you feel that your private information has been stolen

The best thing you do if you fall into a scam is freeze your credit. In this way no one can request or see your credit report, open an account, apply for a loan or get a new credit card. AND the service is free, won’t impact your credit score. You can temporarily lift the credit freeze whenever you want.

Also, requesting annual credit reports, reviewing bank statements and credit card transactions is very important. It will help you find any fraud that is being committed in your name.

To find out how to freeze your credit, and get your free credit report, please click the link below the video and it will be emailed directly to you! You can also do it by email or by phone at each of the 3 major credit bureaus- Transunion, Experian or Equifax.

Now, A few words about freezing your credit:

It is free and you can freeze or unfreeze your credit account at any time. It will last until you remove it. And it does not affect your credit.

Also please let us know if this information has been helpful or any other comments below. We do read them and would like to learn more about what information you would like to know more about, and so that we can help you be better informed!

Many thanks, and

 until next time, from the desk of Credit Vigilante(Cindy) & Shadow(Aka Ryan)  reporting!