Identity Theft of Deceased People for Fraud
| Identity Theft of Deceased People for Fraud | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | Man Impersonates Deceased People Asking Banks To Mail Him New Credit Cards |
| Location | United States |
| Date | October 2020 |
| Solove Harm | Appropriation, Aggregation |
| Information | Credit, Identifying, Family, Account |
| Threat Actors | A person in Memphis |
| Individuals | |
| Affected | Deceased people and their families |
| High Risk Groups | |
| Tangible Harms | |
A person in Memphis was found researching online obituary sites to single out deceased people who might have credit accounts and then impersonate them asking the banks to mail him new credit cards.
Description
A resident of Memphis, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for 13 counts of mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud and mail theft.
Between 2014 and 2015, he obtained the personal information of numerous individuals – most of whom were deceased – and used it to take over their financial accounts.Appropriation
He had been researching the deceased victims, which was done through use of numerous online obituary sites and nationwide news articles. He searched online obituaries and articles to discover the identities of recently deceased individuals, singling out people who might have credit accounts, or financial investments that could be exploited. Aggregation
Then he would impersonate his victims, both male and female, contacting banks, credit card companies and financial firms, persuading them to mail new credit cards to vacant homes and hotels found in the Memphis area. He would stock out of one of his victim’s investment accounts.
On top of 207 months in federal prison without parole, Jackson was ordered to pay over $300,000 in restitution to his victims’ families.
Breakdown
Threat: Fraudster researching deceased people, collecting information about them through online obituary sites and news articles, singling out people who might have credit accounts
At-Risk group: Deceased people and their families
Harm: Aggregation
Secondary Consequences: Financial Cost
Threat: Fraudster impersonating his victims calling the bank and persuading them to mail new credit cards
At-Risk group: Deceased people and their families
Harm: Appropriation
Secondary Consequences: Financial Cost