MercuryNews – Irene Prusik has been dead for six years. But in April, someone showed up at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Brooklyn to renew her driver’s license. The explanation given by prosecutors rivals the Hitchcock classic “Psycho”: It was her son, in drag.

Thomas Parkin, 49, was charged Wednesday in the bizarre plot to impersonate his deceased mother so he could collect $117,000 in government benefits. He and the man accused of being his accomplice, Mhilton Rimolo, pleaded not guilty to grand larceny, criminal impersonation and other charges.

Both men were ordered held on $1 million bail. Their lawyers did not immediately respond to phone messages left on Wednesday.

District Attorney Charles Hynes said the scam was “unparalleled in its scope and brazenness.”

Authorities claim that following his arrest, Parkin told them that because he held Prusik when she breathed her last breath, “I am my mother.”

Parkin, who lived with his mother, was accused of hatching the scheme after she passed away in 2003 at age 73. He managed to conceal the death by falsifying her death certificate, then collected $52,000 from her $700-a-month Social Security checks over the next six years, prosecutors said.

Authorities say Parkin also got another $65,000 in rent subsidies by falsely claiming he had a disability and that his mother was still alive and was his landlord.

Parkin used his friend Rimolo to pose as the mother’s nephew when going to cash checks and do other business, prosecutors said. A security camera photo from the DMV office shows a frail-looking Parkin in a wig and dark glasses, Rimolo by his side, as he fills out paperwork.

The ruse began to unravel amid a dispute over the mother’s home, which was sold at foreclosure in 2003. Parkin challenged the purchase by suing the new owner on his mother’s behalf so he wouldn’t be evicted.

As the property dispute dragged out, both sides eventually contacted the district attorney to accuse each other of fraud. By the time investigators arranged a meeting with the family in May, they already had proof Prusik was dead: a photo of her tombstone in a local cemetery.

The investigators played along as Parkin showed up for the interview “wearing a red cardigan, lipstick, manicured nails and breathing through an oxygen tank,” prosecutors said.

FROM THE DESK OF:
Barr.Rick Chase
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

We wish to notify you again that you were listed as a beneficiary to the total sum of Four million Six hundred thousand British Pounds Sterling in the intent of the deceased (names now withheld since this is our second letter to you). We contacted you because you bear the surname identity and therefore can present you as the beneficiary to the inheritance since there is no written will.Our legal services aim to provide our private clients with a complete service.

We are happy to prepare wills, set-up and administer Trusts, carry out the administration of estates and prepare and administer powers of attorney.All the papers will be processed in your acceptance. In your acceptance of this deal, we request that you kindly forward your letter of acceptance, your current telephone and fax numbers and a forwarding address to enable us file necessary documents at our High court probate division for the release of this sum of money.
Yours faithfully,

Barr. Rick Chase
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

BOSTON – Eleven perpetrators allegedly involved in the hacking of nine major U.S. retailers and the theft and sale of more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers have been charged with numerous crimes, including conspiracy, computer intrusion, fraud and identity theft, Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Michael J. Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Karen P. Hewitt, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Benton J. Campbell and U.S. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan announced today. The scheme is believed to constitute the largest hacking and identity theft case ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice. (more…)

In Summer of 2003, my wallet was stolen. I called my bank, and the credit bureaus,and assumed that it was taken care of. I later found out that I needed to file a police report for them to accept it. I never did. And when thy started charging me interest on the amount I closed the account and changed banks.

A few years later, a collection agency called my Mothers House, and left a message. She called them back asking what it was about, and they told her.
I called them, as soon as she told me about it, and read them the riot act for discussing my financial affairs with anyone other than myself, and further disputing that any amount originating from that account to be fraudulent, as it had been charged by thieves. Then things got quiet again.

Then last year a letter was sent to my mothers house from Troon Company,LLC.  My mother held it for me and I called them and gave them my phone number and address and further disputed the amount as fraudulent. I also warned them not to harass my mother anymore, that they now had a way to get a hold of me, and had no reason to contact her any longer. They have since sent more letters to her house.

Recently, I have contacted them and asked to speak with a supervisor. After our discussion, he said that he would cancel the account and stop trying to collect on me if I could offer up some proof that the balance was not mine, that it was in fact fraudulent. He also said he would put the account “on hold” for two weeks but after that he would send it to his “legal department”.

Does this mean That I should get a Police affidavit and direct it to his attention?

Matt (more…)

14 year old ID theft, charge off, Junk debt, the filing of a bogus 1099.

Rob (more…)

Thank you, what an awesome site you have.  I received a fraud alert from certigy and pulled my 3 credit reports.  What a mess. 

Thanks to your site I was able to delete 6 items off one report and 4 off another.  I am now waiting for my last bit of investigation. 

Thank you for all your great advise.

Robin

After Suzanne Sloane discovered that a thief had stolen her identity and ruined her credit, she notified the police and sought to have Equifax Information Services, LLC, a credit reporting service, correct the resulting errors in her credit report. The police promptly arrested and jailed the thief. But twenty-one months later, Equifax still had not corrected the errors in Suzanne’s credit report. Accordingly, Suzanne brought this action against Equifax for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 U.S.C.A. § 1681 et seq. (West 1998 & Supp.2007). A jury found that Equifax had violated the Act in numerous respects and awarded Suzanne $351,000 in actual damages ($106,000 for economic losses and $245,000 for mental anguish, humiliation, and emotional distress). The district court entered judgment in the amount of $351,000. In addition, without permitting Equifax to file a written opposition, the court also awarded Suzanne attorney’s fees in the amount of $181,083. On appeal, Equifax challenges the award of damages and attorney’s fees. We affirm in part and reverse and remand in part.

Sloane v. Equifax [Decided: December 27, 2007]

I love your site. I am a victim of ID theft and because of your site I knew what I needed to do and how to send in proof. Thank u for what you do.

Kenny

11Alive.com reports:

“DeKalb police have found boxes of sensitive information from a mortgage company carelessly tossed in the trash.

The mortgage company – Ameriquest — may ring a bell. It closed up shop in Georgia nearly two years ago amid allegations of predatory lending.

So why, now, are hundreds of customers’ personal files showing up in a very public place? It is the last place one would expect to find hundreds of confidential mortgage files — in a dumpster behind a DeKalb County apartment complex.

“They basically contain mortgage applications from Ameriquest customers,” said DeKalb Deputy Police Chief Mike Burrows.

Boxes and boxes of tax returns, credit histories and social security numbers. Strange, considering Ameriquest stopped doing business in Georgia nearly two years ago amid allegations of predatory lending.”

Click here for the Ameriquest Dumpster Video.

On June 2003 I notice on my credit a company. This company stated I was late over 120 day for a lease payment. After writing the credit bureau about this company that I never had done business with a write this company the ftc and better business bureau about this company being on my credit and stating that I owe over 4,000. I have spent the last 4 1/2 years disputing this creditor.

Each time they tell you to do diffent things to prove that this was not you and each time it change. However, from your website I did the validation letter. This company after 4 year send me a contract with my name and address of where I use to live, with my bank account infomration that I had to report to the back becaue my account information was loss/stolen when I had moved durning that time period.

I write to them that an affidavitt about this account was not mine and the signature on the contract is not even mine. I even sent them a copy of my drivers License and this company wrote me stating that they forward my delinqent account to an outside collection and that they will not response to any letter I send them and that there contract cannot be concelled and that I am personally liable for the terms of their contract. But its not mine. what to do. I have done all!!!

Yolanda (more…)