Drugged, Stripped and Photographed

A camera found under the bed showed nude photos of the victim, who eventually dressed and went home unsteadily to his wife and mother in law. From there he went to the hospital, where medics found a cocktail of opiates in his system.

The victim went on to subsequently question Eichenberger about their business dealings, and the other man’s evasiveness spurred him to check his credit report. Sure enough, two new credit cards had been opened in his name – though the bills were being directed to Eichenberger’s address.

Scammer Continues his Work

Eichenberger’s home was subsequently searched, and cocaine and marijuana found – along with an email threatening the victim with plans to forward photos to the victim’s attorney. The Hillsmere man was charged with tampering with food and drink, second-degree assault, possession of cocaine and marijuana, and two counts of identity theft. He posted bail and was promptly released – in spite of the fact that it is almost certain that he continues his scams.

Police allege Mr. Eichelberger has a pattern of befriending people and then slipping prescription drugs into their food or drinks to alter their judgment. He is known to frequent hotels and bars in the Annapolis and Hagerstown areas, police said.

“We are looking for people who may have been victims … of his actions,” Ms. Russo said Friday, adding that police have filed no new charges against him but want to speak to anyone who has seen Mr. Eichelberger in a restaurant or bar.

ID Theft Via Blackmail

Don’t be afraid of only physical assault from those who you might meet or have business dealings with. The victim in this case suffered from identity theft and attempted blackmail from a business associate he had no reason to distrust, who drugged and robbed him of more than his wallet. The victim was smart and checked their credit report – an early warning system such as a credit monitoring program can also help.

In fact, identity theft may be one of the easiest crimes to pull of from prison, experts say. Many forms of ID theft involve networked communications (read: “hacking”), which can often be achieved using nothing more than a phone line and a little criminal know-how.

And ID criminals often have a realtime network too, working in conjunction with others to pull off multiple scams.

Behind Bars

It’s long been known that various types of criminal behavior might be continued even while the perpetrator is in prison.

Various forms of illegal activities, from drug trafficking to loan sharking, happen routinely behind bars and are a constant source of modifications to how inmates are watched, experts say. Punishments may be as mild as the curtailment of activities, to more serious, such as denial of parole.

But despite the risks, some inmates just keep on thieving, with identity crime attempts during incarceration becoming more and more of a problem, experts say.

Under Investigation

But such underhanded activities don’t necessarily go unnoticed, and measures are being taken in various penitentiaries to curtail these activities and to deliver punishments when the crooks are found out, according to recent reports.

Take the case of Multnomah County Jail (CO inmate Shawn K. McGinnis, who has been accused of using a three-way calling telephone system to buy and sell the identity information of unknowing victims.

Known as “Sammy Straight Razor,” McGinnis has been the subject of an investigation into these alleged activities for a year, according to news reports. Though McGinnis has not yet been indicted, the three-way calling feature has been eliminated inside the prison, the Multnomah County Sherriff’s Office says.

Protective Measures

Because imprisonment may not necessarily guarantee that ID thieves are rendered harmless, experts advise that those wishing to protect their information (and money) continue to employ commonsense measures.

These include always shredding identifying information before throwing it out or recycling it; double checking bank transactions at least once a month; reporting any suspicious account activity immediately and never giving any identifying information out over the phone or via e-mail.

A high quality credit protection service, including monitoring of your accounts and reporting unexpected transactions, can also be a help toward making sure your identity remains untampered with.

Be wise, be aware…and stop criminals from stealing your identity, whether from the comfort of their own homes or from their rightful place behind bars.

The duo was discovered when an alert resident tipped off the local police that a credit card had been opened in their name—and they knew absolutely knew nothing about it. A local detective was able to put a stop to the delivery of several items before they were shipped. Cynthia Walker and Cassidy Janosky were arrested at the local Kennewick Sears in January when they attempted to pick up a birthday present for Walker—a treadmill that they had fraudulently ordered.

The Real Estate Agent and the V.P.

As a licensed real-estate agent, Cynthia Walker was able use vacant homes as mailing addresses for credit card applications—credit cards that she and her daughter, local bank vice-president Cassidy Janosky, had taken out in other peoples’ names. Walker knew the area well, and kept abreast which neighborhoods had a slow turnover as far as home sales were concerned. Armed with this knowledge, Walker figured out which houses would likely be empty for a while and could be used as a valid mailing address.

Janosky, meanwhile, had the trust of many people financially. She took advantage of that trust, and used it in the worst way—opening up credit cards in people’s names without their permission. Digging through the personal financial files belonging to customers of her local bank was a daily event for her, and never questioned. She was the vice-president, after all!

A Betrayal of Trust

By using a hotel computer as well as one in a business center at Janosky’s apartment complex, this two woman team were racking up the trinkets in their expensive little scheme—to the tune of $13,000. Online, Walker and Janosky were able to sign up for credit cards and make purchases to send to the vacant homes—where they would conveniently arrange to be to pick up the merchandise.

Walker and Janosky’s ability to steal others people’s identities was not more conniving or better than anyone else’s – these two women just happened to be lucky enough to be well-trusted by many people.

The Broken Family

Since the duo’s arrest, mother and daughter have turned on each other in order to save their own skins. Janosky blames her mother for concocting the idea in the first place. Walker on the other hand has made statements that totally refute Janosky’s accusations, claiming that her daughter was the mastermind.

Charged by the federal grand jury with a number of felonies, Janosky has learned that a mother’s love is only as good as the mother – Walker, in a plea agreement, has decided to testify against her own daughter in order to have some of her own charges dropped.

Being on the lookout for activity on their credit report is how the alert resident got the ball rolling in the first place to stop Walker and Janosky. It is truly the only way to protect yourself.

A few years ago, Shell employees made headlines as an identity theft scam was uncovered in Forest Hill TX. Erica Washington was employed at a Shell station there, and realized she could make a nice side business out of selling customer credit card information off of in-store generated manger reports.

Erica sold off credit card numbers and expiration date information to a couple from Ft Worth, who subsequently used the numbers to make multiple purchases online. The items purchased included shoes, clothing, DVDs and other items that were shipped to Melvin Jones and Jenifer Perkins – and their family members – as gifts or merchandise to be pawned for cash.

Melvin, Jennifer and Erica were all busted. Now, three years later, Shell is facing another identity theft scandal – only this time the employees are the victims, not the perpetrators!

Company Faces Second Identity Theft Crisis

An unnamed third party IT firm had been hired by Shell to work on data indexing – and their employees had access to the database containing the Social Security numbers and personal information belonging to many Shell employees. Some of these were unpleasantly surprised to find out that they had apparently applied for unemployment benefits!

The Texas Workforce Commission had received applications for unemployment compensation with the socials listed for four Shell employees. Shell, after discovering the fraud, escorted the IT off of their premises and terminated their contract with the firm, but many Shell workers are disturbed at the ease of which the crime was committed.

Insurance Fraud – the Worst Type of Identity Theft

This type of identity theft is particularly bad, as the consequences are harder to undo. Any time any type of insurance payment is fraudulently claimed, a C.L.U.E report is filed – which could make it difficult to get a job, obtain insurance of any kind, or qualify for benefits in the future.

Fortunately one of the four affected Shell employees blew the whistle, and the Houston based company has been warning employees of the breach in security. Many people feel that Shell should do more to safeguard both customers’ and employees’ confidential information, however, such as paying for fraud coverage.

The Motor Vehicle Enforcement officers had found what they were looking for; the second half of an elaborate and carefully put together identity theft ring. They arrested Joshua Smith and Michelle Chapman, who would be joining the previously apprehended other two members of the gang.

As the weeks went by and more information came to light, the events leading up to that morning became clear. Identity theft has become common enough, but in this case just who the victims were was a startling revelation.

Anybody Can Be an Identity Theft Victim

It began in early September of 2007. Laura Bustamante, a Department of Workforce Services employee, was working as an eligibility specialist. Through her job she had access to personal information of hundreds of applicants who were awaiting approval for state benefits. It turned out to be too much temptation for the 34 year old woman from Midvale, Utah.

Laura Bustamane

Bustamante started using her clearance to a specialized database to cull through clients’ sensitive information. She had access to the Social Security numbers, banks statement and addresses of nearly 1,775 customers of DWS. Bustamante apparently tested the waters by opening a charge account in one client’s name. She then began selling off information on other clients to Smith, Chapman and John Johnstun, transferring the data via text message or phone.

As a result, at least 33 people suffered varying degrees of identity theft, as the group applied for credit cards in different names. They opened accounts and racked up charges amounting in some cases to over ten thousand dollars per identity.

One doesn’t normally think of people applying for state aid as being targets of identity theft – many people believe it is a rich man’s worry – but this case certainly proves otherwise! The opportunity for identity theft is rampant, and many people simply cannot resist temptation when it is put in their path.

The DWS in Utah is now planning to implement mandatory random drug testing for all employees entrusted with sensitive information, as Bustamante was apparently suspected of being on methamphetamines at the time of the crimes. She was sentenced to up to five years for unlawful access, with a mandatory stacked sentence of two years for the identity theft. The other perpetrators are awaiting trial.

The DWS is has been attempting to warn other clients that their information has been compromised, and has set up a fund to help those who were taken advantage of by their employee. They do point out that this is the first ever such happening in the department, but the message here is clear.

Trust no-one. Be vigilant, and make a note of EVERY time you provide sensitive information to ANYONE – even if it is a government worker. Check your credit report often, and make sure you are alerted if any sudden changes occur. This is the best way to protect yourself and your credit standing from identity theft!