More criminals are stealing Mississippians’ good names.
Identity theft is on the rise, as the state jumped to 17th in the nation last year in the number of identity theft complaints per 100,000 population, according to figures released this year by the Federal Trade Commission.
Five years ago, the state was ranked 32nd, according to FTC figures.
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“Over the last few years, we have seen identity theft become a major contributor to our overall criminal caseload,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Gilbert, who handles such cases. “The problem has become so widespread that several different federal agencies have made identity theft detection and investigation a top priority.”
The FTC, the Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Service, IRS, state and local agencies all are working on identity theft cases in the state.
In the few months in which he has been handling identity theft cases, Gilbert said, “It is staggering to me to see just how much identity theft is occurring.”
Recently in Hinds County Circuit Court, a Jackson woman pleaded guilty to using 15 credit cards she obtained in the victim’s name.
Dimples Robinson, who has used the aliases Dimples Collins, Denise Robinson, D. Ebony Robinson and Shorty Robinson, was sentenced to serve five years in prison and must pay $102,100.60 in restitution.
“The victim in the case was able to clean up most of her credit after much effort, but her ability to obtain a decent mortgage on her home was hindered by this defendant,” Attorney General Jim Hood said.
In Madison County, Charmaine Kelly, 31, of Clinton was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $800. Kelly’s victim was a quadriplegic to whom she had been a caregiver.
The ease at which identity theft can be accomplished and a once slumping economy contribute to the rising crime, authorities say.
“One factor that I think heavily contributes is how easy it has become for people to use personally identifiable information (PII) once they obtain it,” Gilbert said. “We routinely find people with boxes full of “blank” credit, debit, or stored value cards (such as gift cards), as well as the equipment to load PII onto those cards. It’s also very easy to use someone’s PII to obtain a loan or get a credit card by applying online. The hard part is getting the PII, the easy part is putting it to an illicit use.”
About a fourth of all identity theft complaints came from the Jackson Metropolitan area, according to the latest figures.
In 2007, the Jackson metro area wasn’t ranked in the top 50 in identity theft complaints. Last year, it ranked 31st.
One recent case in Jackson falls into what Gilbert calls the unsophisticated category. A person’s identity was stolen from checking information given to a parking attendant at Blair E. Batson’s Children Hospital.
Timothy McGee and Robert McCullum allegedly used the account numbers to create fake checks that were used to buy goods in Alabama and Mississippi. They are under federal indictment on conspiracy, bank fraud and identity theft charges.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center said it cooperated with the task force investigating the case.
A cashier or teller using a hand-held device to copy a person’s debit card information is a sophisticated method of identity theft, Gilbert said.
Also, he said there have been cases where criminals have gotten their hands on a credit card machine and used it to turn out phony charges on unsuspecting individuals’ accounts.
One such case turned up last month in Flowood, where four women are accused of making their own credit cards and using someone else’s information.
“You normally hear of someone stealing credit or debit card information,” Flowood Police Lt. Ricky McMillian said. “This is a unique case. It was unreal.”
The women, whose names were not immediately available, used the fictitious credit cards to purchase items at Flowood businesses, McMillian said.
The credit card machine was confiscated from a room at a Jackson Sleep Inn Hotel, McMillian said.
Allen Bryant, resident agent in charge of the Jackson Secret Service office, said a good rule is to check credit reports annually. A credit report is likely the first place to learn if your identity has been stolen, he said.
Having your identity stolen can be a harrowing experience. Jackson businesswoman Susan Lunardini knows first hand.
Several years ago, her and her husband’s office was broken into and checks stolen. More than $20,000 in phony checks were written on the account and a phony account was opened in her name.
“It was a nightmare,” Lunardini said. “I dealt with this for a year.”
