After researching a potential identity theft victim, a New York man, Anton Nrecaj, obtained the victim's personal information, then visited an AT&T store in New Jersey, claiming to have lost his phone and needing his number and phone data – including financial and other personal information – transferred to a new phone.

AT&T obliged, and once Nrecaj was connected with the new phone, he used the device to make a financial transfer of $300,000 from the victim's account into his own.

Nrecaj was ultimately arrested, but he claimed he was not the organizer of the scheme - he was simply paid for his services. Eventually a group of financial criminals was uncovered who had been stealing personal and financial data from victims throughout New York and New Jersey. Pat Tomlinson "NY man sentenced to 2 years in $300K Greenwich ID theft using a phone transfer scheme" greenwichtime.com (Nov. 04, 2024).

Commentary

Nearly a third of all Americans have experienced identity theft, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

In 2020 the FTC recorded 2.2 million claims of fraud, with 15 million Americans affected by identity theft.

The best way to protect yourself from identity theft is to diligently protect your sensitive personal and financial information. Never freely give out this information to anyone – not on the phone, nor online - and change your passwords frequently.

Keep a close eye on your credit report – reviewing it thoroughly at least annually – to look for anomalies or suspicious or fraudulent activity and diligently maintaining your anti-virus software on all your devices.

Finally, if your phone – or any device that contains personal or financial information – turns up missing or stolen, immediately change any relevant passwords and contact any financial institutions to place a hold on your accounts until your device, and the information it contains, is safely back in your possession.
 

Here are common methods cybercriminals use to obtain identity information:

• Illegally using someone's credit card or bank account 
   

• Creating a new financial account in another person's name 
   

• Selling someone's personal information 
    

• Using an assumed identity to evade law enforcement 
   

• Using someone else's health insurance information to obtain medical treatment 
   

• Opening a new utility account under another's name 
   

• Filing a false tax return request under an assumed name and collecting a tax refund