Social Security Scam

[Big D]

A complex fraud scheme involving homes with artificially inflated prices purchased with stolen Social Security numbers is proving to be Utah's newest and most costly scam, victimizing individuals and costing the state millions of dollars.

An ongoing investigation by federal and state agencies has found that 87 homes in Utah have been purchased using stolen Social Security numbers. The government has already lost $2.5 million on a small percentage of those homes, according to the Utah Attorney General's Office.

In one example, a Salt Lake City grandmother found that her Social Security number was used to buy a $143,000 home in Layton worth about $80,000. In another, an Ogden home was purchased using the Social Security number of a 4-year-old New York girl.

So far, 21 individuals, all illegal immigrants, have been charged with felony crimes including identity theft, communications fraud, and forgery for their part in the scam. Of that group, four individuals who agreed to plea bargains are in the process of being deported, said assistant Attorney General Richard Hamp. The investigation will eventually implicate over 100 individuals, including four or five heading the scam, he said.

http://www.4utah.com/local_news/loc...ntent_id=6C104ABD-79C2-4BC4-93FE-ED72A7D84923

 

[JohnGalt]

Hmm, quiet a system they have going for them.

That damn scam could happen to anyone...

 

[NewGuy]

Big D:

Was Enron, Martha Stewart, or MCI run by immigrants too?

 

[nycflasher]

And I though Mormonism was the biggest scam in Utah history...doh!

j/k

 

[Big D]

Originally posted by NewGuy
Big D:

Was Enron, Martha Stewart, or MCI run by immigrants too?

A thousand Enron scandals would not even come close to what illegal immigrants have cost this country:

http://michnews.com/artman/publish/article_1879.shtml

 

[NewGuy]

Originally posted by Big D
A thousand Enron scandals would not even come close to what illegal immigrants have cost this country:

http://michnews.com/artman/publish/article_1879.shtml

Spoken like a native american.

 

[Big D]

Originally posted by NewGuy
Spoken like a native american.

I love how beautiful their reservations are, if that how they live, having whites come to America was the best thing that ever happened to them.

 

[NewGuy]

Originally posted by Big D
I love how beautiful their reservations are, if that how they live, having whites come to America was the best thing that ever happened to them.

So a white guy living off the land in the hills.......what do you think of that, then?

 

[MtnBiker]

Originally posted by Big D
I love how beautiful their reservations are, if that how they live, having whites come to America was the best thing that ever happened to them.

Hmmm interesting, I wonder what DK (part Cherokee) thinks about that?

 

[Merlin1047]

Boys and girls, unless you've experienced it, you have no appreciation of the frustration and aggravation that identity theft can cause.

My wife was recently the victim of identity fraud. We were alerted by our credit card company. They had discovered unusual spending on our account and called to question us about it. The scary part is, we got lucky. The representative from GTE (parent company of the credit card company) ACCIDENTALLY stumbled across the problem.

We immediately cancelled all credit cards, closed all store charge accounts, froze all savings and checking accounts. Then we contacted the three major credit reporting bureaus to report the incident. We placed a block on credit approval in our names. Credit applications cannot be approved until the agency calls our home number and speaks to one of us. We also had fraud alerts put out by each credit reporting agency and each of our credit cards. Fortunately, we only keep two credit cards. We contacted the police and reported the incident, which is still under investigation nearly 18 months later.

What little evidence has surfaced so far is that at least some of the fraud was perpetrated by a black woman, approximately six feet tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds. My wife is five feet six, weighs 140 and is white. The information submitted by the person who posed as my wife was totally incorrect in EVERY aspect except social security number. Height, weight, race, age, date of birth, home address - ALL were wrong. Yet credit cards were issued regardless of these errors.

The problem is that nobody gives a rat's ass.

The credit card companies are hell-bent on getting a credit card into the posession of every man, woman, child, dog, cat and goldfish in the country. In their haste, they fail to investigate the information they receive to assure its accuracy.

The companies who are defrauded also don't appear to care. One of the purchases made with the fraudulent cards was from JC Penney's. Three gift certificates were purchased, one for $1,000 and two for $500 each. My wife contacted JC Penney. She was told that the store would not cancel the gift certificates purchased with the illegitimate card because "the person using the certificates might not be the criminal". Say what???? Even if true, why would they knowingly let themselves be defrauded?

As far as the police - well that has been an exercise in useless effort. In fairness, they have other things to worry about.

Government doesn't give a damn either. Try talking to your representative about identity theft and you feel like you're talking to a mannekin. You get that vacuous smile that tells you he's still there, but he's checked out of the net. Then try talking to them about the fact that the original social security act prohibited the use of SSANs for purposes of identification. The tap dancing you get would make you think you got lost in a minstrel show.

So it's up to the individual to protect himself. Guard your SSAN. We discovered that most identity theft information comes from places like doctor's offices, hospitals, or clinics where the use of SSAN is commonplace. Get your SSAN off your driver's license if you have that option. And whatever you do - get your SSAN the hell off your checks. That is the second most common source of identity theft information.

You can try griping to your elected representatives. I wish you lots more luck than I had.

 

[NewGuy]

That is one reason we don't deal with credit, checks or automated transactions.

It is all CASH, baby.

You have to realize "the system" of ANYTHING gets worse as it gets bigger especially when run by government.

 

[DKSuddeth]

Originally posted by MtnBiker
Hmmm interesting, I wonder what DK (part Cherokee) thinks about that?

It was nice. for a time. then a bunch of georgians decided that more land was more important than dealing fairly.

 

[Big D]

Originally posted by Merlin1047

What little evidence has surfaced so far is that at least some of the fraud was perpetrated by a black woman, approximately six feet tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds. My wife is five feet six, weighs 140 and is white. The information submitted by the person who posed as my wife was totally incorrect in EVERY aspect except social security number. Height, weight, race, age, date of birth, home address - ALL were wrong. Yet credit cards were issued regardless of these errors.

The problem is that nobody gives a rat's ass.

I really like all those credit card idenitiy thief commercials, you know the ones with the different voices. I have yet to hear one with a black or hispanic voice of a person doing the crime. It's always some kind of "redneck" voice.

Since the majority of identity crimes are done by blacks and hispanics.

 

[Big D]

Originally posted by NewGuy
That is one reason we don't deal with credit, checks or automated transactions.

It is all CASH, baby.

You have to realize "the system" of ANYTHING gets worse as it gets bigger especially when run by government.

Sounds like you run a lemonade stand in front of your moms house.

 

[OCA]

Originally posted by Big D
I love how beautiful their reservations are, if that how they live, having whites come to America was the best thing that ever happened to them.

Big D do you actually believe that Indians, the actual only ethnic American there is were not royally fucked over by the American government. Are you that intellectually dishonest?

 

[NewGuy]

Originally posted by Big D
Sounds like you run a lemonade stand in front of your moms house.

Actually the lemonade stand is quite successful.

If we want to unzip and see who is manlier in the business world and society in general, you would be quite embarassed.

I would suggest sticking to topics that you can cut and paste about.

At least that way you can be unknowledgable with nobody able to PROVE it.

 

[DKSuddeth]

Originally posted by OCA
Big D do you actually believe that Indians, the actual only ethnic American there is were not royally fucked over by the American government. Are you that intellectually dishonest?

If I remember right, Big D thinks the Native Americans are great, they just had an extremely bad immigration policy.

 

[Big D]

Originally posted by DKSuddeth
If I remember right, Big D thinks the Native Americans are great, they just had an extremely bad immigration policy.

I myself feel sorry for Native Americans for many different reasons.

One thing I do dislike is how Native Americans have a problem with sports teams using Indian names, but have no problems naming casino's after their tribes.
Casino's promote gambling and alcohol, two things that have plagued Native Americans.

 

[Big D]

Originally posted by NewGuy
Actually the lemonade stand is quite successful.

If we want to unzip and see who is manlier in the business world and society in general, you would be quite embarassed.

I would suggest sticking to topics that you can cut and paste about.

At least that way you can be unknowledgable with nobody able to PROVE it.

Anyone who claims there whole business is run only on cash, is full of it or runs a lemonade stand.

Do you have a website to your business?

I call Bullshit

 

[NewGuy]

Originally posted by Big D
Anyone who claims there whole business is run only on cash, is full of it or runs a lemonade stand.

Do you have a website to your business?

I call Bullshit

Call it what you like. I have nothing to prove. You brought it up.