Identity theft

A Gastonia mother filed a $15 million lawsuit, alleging she was wrongly accused of identity theft and falsely arrested after being misidentified in an investigation. She is suing Gaston County and a police officer.

The user received 13 spam bot calls in 15 days offering loans, with voicemails falsely claiming to respond to a 'loan request' or 'loan inquiry.' The calls originated from caller IDs across multiple U.S. states but did not mention the user's name or personal details, sparking concerns about identity theft.

The user received a call from an old coworker, heard faint breathing but no response, and is concerned about potential identity theft after recently using their personal information for an apartment application. They left a voicemail but have not received a reply.

An adult son received fraudulent emails in the user's name confirming an Old Navy order and Afterpay account. The user is concerned about potential identity theft and is considering a credit freeze. Afterpay confirmed no SSN was provided, but the user suspects their SSN may be compromised.

A user fell victim to a Payactiv scam after sharing a photo of their ID and personal information with a fraudulent support agent. They later discovered the call was likely a scam and have taken steps like filing a police report and planning to obtain a new ID. The scammer obtained their employee ID, phone number, and email address.

A person fell victim to an Apple Security Center pop-up scam, providing personal information such as SSN and driver's license number. She took security measures including changing passwords, reporting to police, and canceling credit cards. The scam occurred via Safari, likely while shopping on Amazon.

The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers are targeting individuals previously victimized by fraud, using fake recovery offers and agency badges to extract more money. The Identity Theft Resource Center's 2026 report highlights that 25.6% of identity crime victims manage multiple incidents, while 62.1% of attempted identity misuse involves new account applications. Scammers maintain 'sucker lists' of victim data, enabling repeat targeting, and stolen Social Security numbers remain vulnerable to long-term fraud due to their irreplaceable nature.

Corina, a Mesa woman on disability since 1999, faced potential loss of Medicaid coverage after someone used her Social Security number to falsely report employment in Texas. She filed reports with authorities and the Arizona Department of Economic Security but struggled to resolve the issue until media intervention secured her coverage. Experts highlighted the risks of employment identity theft, including tax and benefits complications.

Minnesota schools are implementing new technology to combat enrollment fraud involving 'ghost students,' where scammers use stolen personal information to enroll fraudulently. Victims like Kara Downer face financial and administrative challenges after identity theft, while lawmakers have allocated $3 million to improve identity verification systems.

A UK resident received a suspicious text from Nationwide Bank, claiming someone used their full name and date of birth to create a profile but could not open an account without their ID. Nationwide confirmed they do not send such texts, and the individual has reported the incident to fraud reporting platforms.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has fined Amazon $2.25 million for blocking identity theft victims' access to transaction records. The settlement addresses charges that Amazon withheld evidence from fraud victims.

A Louisiana woman was arrested on felony fraud and identity theft charges after a series of purchases at multiple fast-food locations over a year. The purchases led to her arrest, though specific details about the transactions or amounts involved were not provided.

A scam on the Handshake student platform involves fake 'Remote Data Entry Specialist' positions. Scammers direct applicants to text a 'task officer' and later send a fraudulent check for software/hardware purchases, leading to identity theft risks.

Montenegrin police and the FBI arrested an Iranian-Turkish dual citizen in Kotor, Montenegro, for hacking attacks causing $3.4 billion in U.S. infrastructure damage. The 39-year-old faces charges including conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft in the Southern District Court of New York.

A person and their partner attended a pride event where they spun a wheel and won a 'free' vacation, which turned out to be a scam. The scam involved aggressive sales tactics for vacation packages, unauthorized credit card opening using their social security number, and hidden fees totaling over $500. The company was not affiliated with 'Carnival' as claimed and victims reported issues redeeming packages.

The author discovered two fraudulent credit card applications submitted under their elderly mother's identity by Synchrony Bank and Barclays Bank. Both applications were confirmed as fraudulent, prompting a credit freeze and concerns about how the theft occurred.

The IRS performed better than expected in processing tax refunds during the 2026 tax season despite significant staff reductions, but struggled with answering phone calls, particularly for identity theft victims. A watchdog report highlighted that 59% of major account calls were answered, while compliance and identity theft lines had 34% and 19% answer rates, respectively, with identity theft cases taking nearly two years to resolve.

The IRS performed better than expected in processing tax refunds during the 2026 tax season despite significant workforce reductions, but struggled with phone service and long wait times for identity theft victims. A watchdog report highlighted 59% of major account calls were answered, while compliance and identity theft lines had 34% and 19% answer rates, respectively. Over 500,000 identity theft victims face average resolution times of 20 months.

A Bronx man is accused of stealing over $400,000 from senior residents at a Manhattan senior living residence, using the funds for luxury items and vacations. Devon Ragnauth, 38, faces felony charges including grand larceny, fraud, and identity theft.

A person received a suspicious voicemail about urgent legal documents related to a payday loan from Check ’n Go. Multiple calls to the provided number revealed inconsistent information, confusion about debt details, and claims of identity theft, leading the individual to suspect a scam.

Clarksville police are seeking the public's help to identify a suspect in an identity theft case involving $28,000 stolen from a bank account through three fraudulent transactions. Surveillance video captured a white male suspect wearing a ball cap, light blue long-sleeve shirt, and khaki pants. Authorities provided contact details for tips, including a Crime Stoppers line and P3 Tips.

The Clarksville Police Department is seeking a man accused of using a fraudulent ID to withdraw $28,000 from a victim’s account through three transactions. Security footage shows the suspect wearing a ball cap, light blue long-sleeve shirt, and khaki pants leaving a local bank.

A Chicago man has been charged with burglary and identity theft, accused of being a serial mail thief.

The Hanover County Sheriff's Office is hosting a paper shredding event on Saturday to help prevent identity theft. The event aims to securely dispose of sensitive documents and reduce the risk of personal information being misused.

A Southern California teacher recounted her ordeal after her identity was stolen by a thief who obtained her social security number and a copy of her birth certificate. Experts provided tips for victims of identity theft.

A housemate with a disability faced a scam after a debit card error led to a Verizon account being flagged for fraud. The scam, which originated from Verizon Wireless, involved a fake bank website and a phishing link, with the fraudulent site registered to a sandwich shop in Arizona.

Clarksville police are seeking the public's assistance to identify a suspect involved in an identity theft and check fraud case. The investigation focuses on crimes related to stolen identities and fraudulent checks.

A husband has been receiving text messages from Georgia Power about a bill for an Atlanta address, despite not living in Georgia and having no account with the company. The account name is nearly identical to his, differing only by a middle initial, and the representative confirmed no matching social security number. The phone number was removed from the account, but concerns about identity theft remain.

A man from Hamlet in Richmond County is facing 45 charges, including larceny, identity theft, and stalking, across the Carolinas. The charges were reported by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

David Kyle Tucker was arrested and charged with nine counts of felony identity theft and nine counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense after using a fraudulently obtained credit card to make unauthorized purchases at seven businesses in Iredell County.

A man from Cohoes admitted to embezzling over $4 million from his employer and pleaded guilty to grand larceny and identity theft in Albany County Court.

Williamson County commissioners voted to write off over $20,000 in taxpayer money lost to a check-washing scam. A check originally written for $881.08 was altered to $20,881.08 and traced to a Florida woman who was a victim of identity theft. The county has implemented safeguards like positive pay to prevent future incidents.

Hialeah police arrested Janet Edwards for exploiting her disabled mother's finances, including selling her home and making unauthorized withdrawals. Edwards faces charges of elderly exploitation, grand theft, and identity theft after draining over $250,000 from her mother's accounts.

Trader Joe's is involved in a $7.4 million settlement over a class action lawsuit alleging the grocery chain printed excessive credit card digits on receipts, increasing identity theft risks for customers. Shoppers must act quickly to claim their share of the settlement.

The U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advisory urging banks to identify financial schemes linked to unauthorized workers, including identity theft and payroll tax fraud. The guidance follows an executive order by President Trump requiring banks to scrutinize customer citizenship status, though it stops short of making citizenship data collection mandatory.

The U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued an advisory to banks to identify red flags related to payroll schemes involving unauthorized workers, following an executive order by President Donald Trump. The advisory highlights concerns about identity theft, payroll tax fraud, and money laundering, while noting banks were able to avoid mandatory collection of citizenship information.

OnlyFans star Lena the Plug claims identity theft is responsible for Adam22's divorce filing. She alleges a 'crazy psycho stalker' orchestrated the scam.

OnlyFans star Lena the Plug claims identity theft is behind a divorce filing involving Adam22, attributing the scam to a 'crazy psycho stalker'.

A South Carolina investigation into identity theft and fake identification documents led to the detention of 48 immigrants by ICE and the indictment of six people.

Polymarket is terminating its paid relationship with George Santos as federal regulators investigate whether he illegally bet against his own attendance at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union. Santos placed the bets on Kalshi after publicly committing to attend the event, and the trades were referred to the Commodities Future Trading Commission for possible insider trading. Santos, who previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft, now works as an influencer for Polymarket.