Friday, October 14, 2011

More than 100 charged in New York theft Ring!

http://news.yahoo.com/more-100-charged-massive-nyc-theft-ring-205852044.html

More than 100 charged in New York Theft Ring! Thanks Shana!

17 comments:

  1. is incredible how all this organizations find all those deferents ways to steal money from people in just a second, because that all that it take to them to slide the card into their scanner to have all the information that they need (credit card number) to use them and buy what ever the want. our money is not safe anymore in debit or credit cards.
    All the people involved in this kind of crime should have a stronger punishment than just a penalty to pay, because they could pay it with stolen money. they should pass some time in jail.
    in my opinion it don't matter how we protect our money, criminals always going to find some way to steal it or make some fraud over it.

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  2. This is incredibly terrifying that people are taking advantage of others and that stealing people’s credit card information has basically become a science. These people need to be punished to the greatest extent of the law because these crimes will follow the victims for a long time, and these people will probably never again feel safe. It is very scary to think that simply going out to eat with your family leaves you vulnerable to thieves who are willing to sale your credit card information for a few bucks. This is the ultimate example of white collar crime, and this proves that anyone can be a victim and this also demonstrates the severity of these types of crimes. My sympathy goes out to all the victims especially the ones who were visiting from another country. I am a little embarrassed for my country that people want to come visit America, and then people take advantage of them by stealing their money. Hopefully everyone will be found and those involved in this crime will be prosecuted and punished for their crimes.

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  3. What is wrong with people?! They simply have NO respect whatsoever for their neighbors. To be honest, however, I’m not surprised by this. Because quite frankly in this time, with this society, little room for being surprised exists. It is just ridiculous how far people will go to get an extra buck. And I guess with technology, they don’t really have to go that far. Technology may have its advantages but it had definitely proved how ugly it can be. Technology has only created more opportunity for fraud. It has also created a generation of sophisticated and skilled criminals. Just like the article said, “criminals are getting more sophisticated. Thieves have an amazing knowledge of how to use technology.” The kinds of schemes they are coming up with are absolutely amazing! It is really quite a shame that these individuals choose to use their knowledge and skill for something that harms society and brings it down rather than for something that could enhance it.

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  4. My goodness, as I began reading this article/post I was expecting a number in the thousands, to be the figure amount for what was stolen, I was not expecting to read, “more than 13 million…” that is a staggering figure. I was left speechless, seriously, these criminals, need to be punished for their actions, all those people need to be reimbursed, and the criminals, need to find employment and pay back all that they stole. But, most importantly, is the fact that these criminals had been committing this fraudulent act since 2010. Also, these criminals lack of concern for the tourists and their fellow Queens neighbors is saddening. And their immense planning skills should have been put to work on something less deviant and more prosperous for their communities. On a brighter note, at least the credit card companies are somewhat forgiving to their clients, and those victims are not held completely liable for the actions of the criminals.

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  5. This goes way beyond your every day credit card numbers theft ring! I just cannot believe that it took a year or longer to dismantle this crime ring. There have been comments made about the intelligence of these individuals involved. I think that those that are charged with our safety should work with these individuals and others like them to find ways to stop this type of crime. We need to use the minds of the criminals to stop their type of crime. White-collar crime needs to have a harsher punishment that is why white-collar crime continues to grow. Thieves know their punishment will be an insignificant punishment and until that stops white-collar crime will continue to grow.
    There was also the mention of foreign tourists being targeted in this circle of crime. Yes, it is unfortunate that they were victims in our country but Americans are also victims in their countries.

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  6. The scary thing about this story is that it could happen anywhere. If it took place in New York, what is to stop it from happening here. My brother in law had his debit card number stolen after eating out at Buffalo Wild Wings. The person who stole his number used at multiple places on big ticket items. The bad part is it was his debit card, if it had been his credit card it wouldn’t have been easier to get his funds back. There are other people I know that this has happened to, usually it is done when you purchase something on the internet. We as consumers who use our credit or debit cards need to be very vigilant in tracking our purchases to make sure this doesn’t happen to us. It is just another example of white collar crime and people trying to make an easy buck.

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  7. This type of thing happens everywhere, maybe not to this extent but it does happen and that's why banks have protection. But now the people we trust with our money are the ones who are stealing it. Bank tellers are constantly seeing our information daily. How can we, as customers at our banks, be comfortable that the person depositing our money isn't trying to steal it. There is no way of us knowing. And more than half of the population doesn't think about the frauds out there. Im the type of person where that type of thing doesn't cross my mind until it happens to someone or it happens to me. I wish there were more ways that we could protect our money. And i am sure once 2052 comes around there will be a way. Maybe not that long but probably a long time. The fact that people are getting this info and selling in online and then sending stuff overseas just makes it 10 times more harder to track. People like this make our lives harder as people to trust companies and other people. These are the people that are wasting our money in the long run because banks pay back the money that was stolen. It's ridiculous and they deserve to spend their lives in jail because when they get out they are just going to do it again.

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  8. This is so crazy! This just makes me even more paranoid to use my debit and credit cards at restaurants now. It is getting ridiculous on how people come up with scams these days. Now I see why so many people got caught. This seems like a long process to go through. They would take the information, take it to a bank teller and then get a fake identity. What I cannot believe is that the credit card companies told all the people that got their information stolen, they would get their money back. I don't know how much i believe of that because it says they spent more than 13 million dollars on merchandise. I am also surprised that the authorities pretty much caught everyone and convicted them of enterprise corruption, theft and grand larceny.

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  9. This article is crazy on two ends! 1) How do these people sleep at night knowing they are taking advantage of these tourists, and other citizens. 2) How do the people whos cards are being used not know? I check my accounts daily, even if I havent used them, simply to make sure this kind of activity is not going on. I know in the article it said that the people who are victims get their money back. That is all good and great, but in my opinion, I don't think these people were taking a close enough look at their own finances. Granted, they shouldnt have to be worried about whether or not a waitor is taking down their credit card info, and simply going irate. I feel bad for the people, and I am just making an assumption that they weren't paying close enough attention.

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  10. My mom and dad have dealt a couple of times with the fact that someone has stolen their credit card info. We were never able to figure out where we were when the information was taken, but the credit card company was very helpful and we were not charged for the large purchases made by the people committing the fraud. I do have to say though that this case goes back to when we were talking about people who are in places of trust use that trust to commit fraud. We trust our waiters and waitresses with our credit and debit cards for small amounts of time while they go to take care of our tickets for us, but when faced with situations like this one has to wonder if it is not safer to simply carry the cash needed for the expected transactions. In my parents case the credit card company noticed within minutes of the transactions taking place that something was wrong because high dollar purchases were taking place in a different state from where we live and there were no records of us traveling to that state in the few days before the transactions. They put a hold on the account and then next time we went to use our cards we were blocked and had to call and figure out what happened. This is great critical thinking on the part of the credit card company, and it shows that they have fantastic controls set in place to catch such happenings. But the fact that it seems that we can no longer trust people makes me sad.

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  11. I must say I’m a little bit impressed at the lengths that criminals go through just to obtain illegal information. They had a sophisticated scheme going on with not one but multiple places of businesses including banks and restaurants. This clearly took some planning and ingenuity, I mean they had a different group of people working on different schemes. What struck me as shocking though was that these criminals had been operating since early 2010 and they are just recently being caught. Identity theft is one of the most rapidly increasing crimes and it’s shocking how quick someone can obtain personal information. I’m not too sure about the whole process of skimming, but it is one of the things I fear the most. I feel awful for the people who had their credit card numbers stolen and everything that they went through and lost in the process.

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  12. This is a case of organized crime gone wild. I hope our criminal justice is able to prosecute these individuals to the fullest degree allowed by law. These are professional criminals that would seem to argue that legitimate businesses are no more honest than they are. However, this type of thinking is unethical and unmoral. These are deliberate criminal acts taken on by individuals who engage in white collar crime willingly. Tech crime leaves individuals felling powerless while giving a sense of power to those who commit it. These guys had a pretty good system going and were able to steal the credit numbers through a system known as skimming. My wife and I were victims of this at NASA. Fortunately, the authorities were able to arrest the individual involved. Maybe credit card companies need to install special microchips to make skimming more difficult. I worry about the thieves because they seem to be getting more knowledgeable.

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  13. As a teller, it's sad to say that I do see this kind of scheme all time. It's unbelievable how the criminals are able to create devices that allows them to get this kind of information. If they're able to create that kind of device, they should put their skills to good use by helping create devices to prevent this kind of crime. There's not telling of who to trust now a days. When I was hired on, they did an extensive background check, credit check, and finger printing. Now I believe they're more lax about who to hire.
    I had a friend that went to India for their company but didn't bother to bring any cash on him. He used his credit card over there at local restaurants and stores not really thinking anything of it. When he got back a few weeks later, he received a phone call from the bank asking him if he was in Hawaii. He soon found out that they have charged thousands on his card all over the United States ordering random car parts.

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  14. Once again, this type of White Collar Crime is not surprising to me at all. Bank tellers, restaurant workers, and retail workers see our account information DAILY. As sad as this large bust is, maybe it will draw the attention of credit card comapnies in the U.S. to maybe install the microchips that make skimming more difficult. Although the credit card companies "keep their customers happy" by retributing lost funds, they really aren't "ending" the phenomena of skimming. It's also not surprising that bank tellers, restaurant workers, or retail workers are involved in this crime. Not every individual is 100% trustworthy, and unfortunately we may very well come into contact with these individuals on a daily basis at the mall, the grocery store, a restaurant, or the bank. I definitely agree with the prosecution of these involved individuals but I do not see their punishment serving as a form of deterrence. Fraudsters are only getting smarter and more technologically advanced. I believe the only thing we, authorities, and credit card companies can do is to keep up with the fraudsters and produce even more technologically advanced anti-skimming devices.

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  15. This article is incredibly scary, just to know that it is so easy for a criminal to get your information without your knowledge, and use it for personal gain. It is also sad because when a person has had their information stolen and their credit is ruin as a result, it is very hard to try and get your credit back on track and feel secure. I agree with Bailey when she stated that, “these criminals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law”. Not only should they receive jail time, but they should also be ordered to pay restitution to the people and companies that they stole from. Due to these criminals and the technology they use to steal is getting more sophisticated, we have to be more active and try to stay one step ahead of them. So if there is any loss, it will not be that big of a loss.

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  16. Yes this is a terrifying situation and I, myself, would hate to have to go through what the victims of this scam did, but at the same time I must say I am thoroughly impressed with the processes and collaboration of all of these people. I consider myself pretty smart but the technology involved in stealing identity, credit, etc. seems so complicated! Not to mention the fact that so many people have come together to basically rip-off as many people as possible. I am grateful, though, that the authorities managed to pinpoint many of the players and participants in this theft ring. I believe they should have stricter punishments for crimes like this because it violates others in such a personal way, and for many of the people, they will never get back everything that was taken from them; if they do they will still be left feeling completely violated. I feel for the victims, and am relieved that justice will be served.

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  17. This is what I would call a case of International White Collar crime magnified to the fifth power. You know before the United States became digital, this sort of thing was not as prominent. I am not saying that it did not exist in some format but not to this magnitude. Now, that everything is so technical there is electronic and computer crimes being committed than ever before. Identity theft decades ago consisted of taking on someone else’s name and possible social security number not being able to swipe your personal data with a portable data reader. I blame computers and the so call USA Patriot Act for making it so easy to commit identity theft and fraud. Everyone’s personal information is now associated with a database, a magnetic strip and a number (SSN). With companies, businesses and consumers for that matter, not practicing proper handling and disposal of personal info it is no wonder how this happens so easily.

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