|
|
News
03/20/2008
William-Sonoma |
| Summary: Defendants, residents of Texas, traveled throughout the United States committing "refunding" frauds for stolen merchandise at upscale retailers such as William-Sonoma and its affiliates. In the past 4 years they traveled through 34 different states "returning", and receiving credit exceeding $250,000 from William-Sonoma alone. Losses from this retailer in California totaled $40,332.17. Defendants participated in at least 2,094 unique transactions since 12/22/02 (a five year average of 34.9 transactions per month). Other retailers calculated losses in excess of $125,000 attributable to defendants in this time period. Over 16 different search warrants were served in this case to identify the dollar losses and traveling patterns of the pair. These included pen registers, cell phone calling records, and the use of GPS devices. On Tuesday, March 18, Varee Hayes and Terrance Malone entered guilty pleas to 5 counts of conspiracy and theft in San Diego Superior Court. Each Defendant will be sentenced to 4 years in prison. Terrance Malone, who had one previous felony conviction in Florida, will be sentenced April 16, 2008. Varee Hayes, who had no previous criminal convictions, will be sentenced on September 22, 2008.
The case was prosecuted by Keith Lyon of the Special Crimes Unit. The case investigator Jason Nichols, and Investigative Auditor Vikram Mandla were instrumental in preparing the case. Also involved in defendants' apprehension were members of the Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force, and the California Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
|
03/19/2008
Identity Theft |
| To help protect yourself from Identity Theft. Photocopy the contents of your wallet. Do not list your social security number on your checks. Consider using a P.O. Box as your address and shred all sensitive mailings. If you are a victim of Identity Theft, file a police report immediately with your local law enforcement agency. Contact all credit card companies. Contact your bank and advise them.
Helpful numbers -
Federal Trade Commission 1-877-382-4357,
Contact SS Admin. Fraud Line 1-800-269-0271,
Call Natl. Reporting Organizations - Equifax-1-800-525-6285, Experian-1-888-397-3742, Trans Union-1-800-680-7289.
|
03/19/2008
Public Awareness |
| Community Cautions - Eight Basic Scams
1. Advance fee scams.
2. Employment scams.
3. Prizes that come with a price.
4. Money-making schemes.
5. Online auctions.
6. Bogus charity.
7. Identity theft.
8. Products that are too good to be true .
|
|