SYRACUSE, NY—United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian announced that a Syracuse federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Alexandru Turcan, 29, with wire fraud, false use of a passport, and aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, 1543 and 1028A. Turcan, originally from Chisinau, Moldova, is a lawful permanent resident of the United States. He was apprehended while entering the United States through Orlando, Florida.

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The indictment alleges that Turcan conducted a scheme to defraud individuals who responded to advertisements listing vehicles on www.autotrader.com., a website that displays automobiles for sale. Two victims, in responding to an advertisement posted by Turcan, believed they were purchasing a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and a 1968 Ford Shelby Mustang. The victims, citizens of Connecticut and Georgia, wired $17,900 and $21,000, respectively, to purchase the vehicles to a bank account established by Turcan in Syracuse, New York. Turcan opened the account under a false name using a counterfeited passport. After transferring the funds to Turcan’s bank account, the victims never received the vehicles they believed they had purchased.
YRACUSE, NY—United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian announced that a Syracuse federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Alexandru Turcan, 29, with wire fraud, false use of a passport, and aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, 1543 and 1028A. Turcan, originally from Chisinau, Moldova, is a lawful permanent resident of the United States. He was apprehended while entering the United States through Orlando, Florida.

The indictment alleges that Turcan conducted a scheme to defraud individuals who responded to advertisements listing vehicles on www.autotrader.com., a website that displays automobiles for sale. Two victims, in responding to an advertisement posted by Turcan, believed they were purchasing a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and a 1968 Ford Shelby Mustang. The victims, citizens of Connecticut and Georgia, wired $17,900 and $21,000, respectively, to purchase the vehicles to a bank account established by Turcan in Syracuse, New York. Turcan opened the account under a false name using a counterfeited passport. After transferring the funds to Turcan’s bank account, the victims never received the vehicles they believed they had purchased.

An identity theft suspect is in custody after trying to open a credit card under a second assumed identity at the same store in less than a week.

On Sunday, an Old Navy staffer at the store near East Towne Mall in Madison thought a customer looked familiar. The woman tried to open a credit card. The staffer realized it was the same person who had opened another account a few days before, under a different identity, and walked away with $1,000 in gift cards.

liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html

Police believe the suspect was using a doctored Vermont drivers license. Receipts indicate she may have bought thousands of dollars in gift cards from other local stores under other identities, possibly traveling outside the state to cash them in on unsuspecting businesses.

“These thieves are professionals,” said Joe Campana, who advises businesses on how to prevent and recover from identity theft. “An inexperienced thief will go in and do something like that the first time, and very likely get caught, but an experienced thief will be testing and seeing ‘Hey, is this gonna work?’ They’ll do $20 gift certificates.”

The Old Navy suspect, who authorities are still trying to identify, purchased cards from at least five stores in Madison including a Boston store where she walked away with $1,000 credit.

“It’s cheap for a crook, it’s relatively easy, doesn’t require any kind of investment in terms of a computer or modem or anything like that,” said Wisconsin Trade and Consumer Protection Administrator Sandy Chalmers. “They may not realize it until months later and in the meantime the thief has continued to open up new lines of credit and bank accounts or home loans in your name.”

Chalmers says a call to one of the three major credit reporting agencies should be among a victim’s first. That can limit what accounts can be opened in your name. She also recommends not carrying your social security card number on your person.

Fraud cases claim about $2 billion every year in the US, a quarter of the cases involving credit cards.