daily-news in-the-wallet
A Real-Life “Bonnie & Clyde” … ID Theft Style
A young couple in Philadelphia lived the high-life for a while—all on their neighbors’ credit cards. The couple is accused of identity theft and fraud (among other charges) and police are estimating the couple’s plot dates back at least two years, with an estimated $100,000 schemed just this year alone. Jet-setting to Paris, high-tech equipment, and even expensive hair extensions were among many fradulent purchases accused of being made by the couple. Not exactly a showing of neighborly love. Also in the news, check out the debate over the risks of identity thieves using commerical spyware, such as the program found in the Philly couple’s apartment.
What’s really scary is how easy it is to commit this crime, or at least how easy it is to acquire the equipment neccessary. A couple computers, an id-card machine, spyware software, and a book easily ordered off Amazon: “The Art of Cheating: A Nasty Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims.”
After this glamorous lifestyle, they were only arrested after a neighbor merely “suspected” she was a victim.