At the end of this article, youll learn the top mistake to avoid when using the internet, so you dont risk your privacy and information. It was also a very sophisticated scheme; it took us several weeks to put all of the pieces together to figure out how he was getting the money and moving it around.. Login or Sign Up; Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. We had existing relationships with the other agencies, and everyone did their part to solve this case in about four months, which is fast considering the complexities of the transactions.. I have no clue as to how that one works. Alert you to potential scams, phishing attempts, data breaches and help you recover from them. The government plans to pursue asset forfeiture in the case. While the fraud was still ongoing, Gibson and his family lived the high life with their ill-gotten gains. In addition to prison time, 47-year-old Kenneth Gibson was sentenced to three years supervised release and 100 hours of community service. View Details. RENO, Nev. A Reno man who admitted to using stolen identities to create more than 8,000 fraudulent online accounts to commit a $3.5 million fraud scheme was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison, three years supervised release, and 100 hours of community service, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada. Assault & Other Violent Crimes. An official website of the United States government. Keep your physical documents in a safe and digitize them. You can store your documents in a safe place inside your home, use long and unique passwords, be careful when providing personal information, check credit reports, and lastly, use a VPN for your online privacy. Gibson was fired from his job shortly thereafter. The police even discovered that he had the SSN, bank details, and credit reports of Bill Gates, Michelle Obama, and Beyonce. Fast & Free; LEGAL PLAN. In fact, Gibson used the identity data he had stolen to open credit card accounts in the patients name with four different companies, including AT&T Universal Card, First USA Visa, Chase Manhattan Bank, and Fleet Credit Card Services. A murder conviction without a body is an instance of a person being convicted of murder despite the absence of the victim's body. For identity theft prevention tips and free resources visitwww.ftc.gov/idtheft. Save. Here you can find out about your MSPs' political activities and how to get in touch with them. Do Infrared Sauna Blankets and Mats Really Work? Pretty cool technology! Four US Postal Service mail carriers including three from New York City are accused of stealing credit cards from the mail as part of a $750,000 identity theft ring, prosecutors said. Your email address will not be published. The Department of Justice also says that Gibson admitted to not including approximately $1,049,070 of taxable income received from the fraud scheme in his tax return for 2013. These stories have shown how easy it is to have your identity stolen, but you can do something to prevent it. A few years prior, the thief, Kenneth Gibson, was working as an information technology professional for a large employer in Nevada. If your personal information is stolen, make a report to theFederal Trade Commission (FTC) atwww.identitytheft.govorby phone at 1-877-438-4338. A lock ( A few years prior, the thief, Kenneth Gibson, was working as an information technology professional for a large employer in Nevada. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Worse for the victims was the hassle of having false information damage their personal credit. Despite the rising number of identity theft victim stories, you can still protect yourself against this fraud. Everywhere you go online you leave a digital footprint. We searched the web for the most recent identity theft cases and read several identity theft articles. He would then use those accounts to send $3.5 million to himself through hard copy checks and electronic transactions to about 500 bank accounts and pre-paid debit cards owned and under his control. The number of cases is quite alarming, so you might want to be proactive about your online privacy now. But with the wide use of the internet and technology, fraudsters have become more creative. Kenneth Gibson bought this boat with the proceeds from his identity theft scheme. On the same day in 2003 that Gibson was alleged to have opened a new credit card account with AT&T Universal Card under Eric Drews name, Drew was posting the following update on his Website, which he used to stay in touch with family and friends and to support fund raising for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): I have had to become an overnight molecular biologist to figure out how I want to get through this. Kenneth is survived by one daughter; Karen Barnett and her husband Josh of Kevil, KY. Three grandchildren Ty Youngblood of Kevil, KY, Hadyn Youngblood of Kevil, KY and Brex . He will also pay $1 million in restitution and a $3.5 million forfeiture judgment. I am a fraud fighter from San Diego California. Use a virtual private network (VPN) to block access to your internet transactions. Let's move forward in time to 2017 when a russian hacker, Roman Seleznev, was a part of a $50 million online identity theft case. The case is being jointly investigated by a Task Force consisting of the FBI, United States Secret Service, IRS, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Reno Police Department. But he could be in trouble if he is convicted. Gibson then engaged in a complex web of transactions to avoid detection, taking cash advances against the established credit and then moving the cash to the linked online account. Use passwords with at least 12 characters, including alphanumeric and special symbols. Bob Kasarda. Kenneth Gilbert Gibson, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Miranda Du. For the 2013 tax year he also filed a fraudulent federal income tax return, which did not include the taxable income generated from this scheme, which totaled about $1,049,070. He must also pay no less than $15,000 in restitution. Kelly Jackson Higgins 2, Editor-in-Chief, Dark Reading, Tara Seals, Managing Editor, News, Dark Reading, Jonathan Care, Contributing Writer, Dark Reading, Emerging Cybersecurity Technologies - A Dark Reading Mar 23 Event, Detecting, Analyzing, and Mitigating Targeted Attacks, The Craziest Cyberattacks Seen In the Wild and How You Can Avoid Them, Emerging Cybersecurity Technologies: What You Need to Know - A Dark Reading March 23 Virtual Event | , The Craziest Cyberattacks Seen In the Wild and How You Can Avoid Them | Jan 24 Webinar | , Black Hat USA 2022 Attendee Report | Supply Chain & Cloud Security Risks Are Top of Mind | , How Machine Learning, AI & Deep Learning Improve Cybersecurity, Ransomware Resilience and Response: The Next-Generation, The Promise and Reality of Cloud Security, Rackspace Sunsets Email Service Downed in Ransomware Attack, Five Guys Data Breach Puts HR Data Under a Heat Lamp, Beyond the Obvious: The Boldest Cybersecurity Predictions for 2023, A Roadmap to Zero Trust: Steps for Meaningful Progress Amongst the Hype, Every DDoS Resilience and Response Playbook Should Include These Things, Rethinking Authentication: MFA, Passwordless, Certificates, and More, The Foundation for Building Scalable Applications to Fuel Customer Satisfaction and Growth, Why You're Wrong About Operationalizing AI, State of Ransomware Readiness: Facing the Reality Gap. Gibson took a plea deal. Heres what we found to be the top 7 identity theft categories in recent years. Many only realized their identities had been stolen when they applied for a loan or credit card themselves or were contacted by a collections agency. Gareth Neumann is a retired Baby Boomer in his early sixties (no ones allowed to know his actual age!). Postal Inspection Service, and the Reno Police Department. He quit the job that gave him access to the thousands of identities. Membership Details; MY ACCOUNT. His accounts included fraudulently openedPayPal credit accounts, bank accounts, and prepaid credit and debit card accounts he created with stolen identities. In 2005, Cummings was sentenced to 14 years due to his years-long fraudulent acts. A Reno man made his initial appearance in federal court Thursday for allegedly engaging in a $3.5 million fraud scheme involving more than 8,000 fraudulent PayPal credit accounts, bank accounts, and prepaid credit and debit card accounts he created with stolen identities. From 2012 to 2017, Kenneth Gibson worked as an information technology professional for a large company in Nevada. Reporting identity theft. Responsible at the time for the " largest identity theft case in American history," Philip Cummings defrauded some 33,000 victims between 2001 and 2002. Change-of-address scams: What can someone do with your address? Even though the David Matthew Read case and other incidents have shown us that popular persons can also become victims of ID theft, its still possible for you to prevent this fraud. Check your bank statements, credit card statements, and credit reports regularly for suspicious activities. Click here to find personal data about Kenneth Gibson including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. Online, identity theft works largely as it does offline, with a . His job gave him access to the personal information of thousands of people, including employees and customers. Kenneth Gilbert Gibson pleaded guilty to creating more than 8,000 fraudulent online accounts to launch a $3.5M fraud operation. According to allegations made in the indictment, between 2012 and 2017, Gibson allegedly obtained the identities of multiple victims and used those victims' identities to open unauthorized online accounts, credit accounts, bank accounts, and prepaid debit and credit card accounts to obtain money and property. On December 13, 2022, the District of Nevada She compromised taxpayers identities and attempted to steal over $1 million from the agency. Gibson pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of filing a false tax return, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Introduction While working at a large firm from 2012 to 2017, a 47-year-old Kenneth Gibson who is a previous Information Technology (IT) professional had access to thousands of employees' and customers' personally identifiable information. _________________________________________. If you need a secure VPN, password manager and more, try Aura. Read picked up the new credit card and spent more than $169,000 at online stores and shops, including Apple, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom. He did not include approximately $1,049,070 of taxable income he received from the fraud scheme. People Search, Contact Information, Public Records & More And skilled hackers, bots and malware can trace that back to you. Gibson agreed to pay $1 million in restitution and forfeit up to $3.5 million. Reno Man Stole Multiple Identities, Millions of Dollars. U.S. Attorneys Office And finally, hed use a debit card to access the cash. Criminal Defense. GARY A 64-year-old Gary man died Tuesday evening after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street in the area of 4th Avenue and Taney Street, Gary police Lt. In total, he allegedly opened more than 8,000 fraudulent and unauthorized accounts with PayPal, an online payment company, using the stolen identities. The Kenneth Gibson case This is one of those identity theft stories that will make you realize that even big businesses are not spared from fraudsters. 3. Finn wants to know, Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Mom taking selfies with Liz and Erin. Bakersfield. We had existing relationships with the other agencies, and everyone did their part to solve this case in about four months, which is fast considering the complexities of the transactions.. He previously pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud, mail fraud, filing a false tax return, and aggravated identity theft. The 35-year-old Phillip Cummings accumulated $50 million to $100 million of income by accessing credit reports from the three credit bureausEquifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A team approach was critical to finding and stopping Gibson. He worked there briefly for a year, from 1999 to 2000, but before leaving the company, he . Forty-six year old Kenneth Gilbert Gibson of Reno Nevada opened 8,000 fraudulent accounts in a scam for the ages. Drews breakthrough came when he caught the attention of a local TV news reporter. From 2012 to 2017, Gibson created a scheme to steal the identities of multiple victims from a Reno database and use them to open unauthorized accounts, credit accounts, bank accounts, and prepaid cards. Mr. Gibson was a resident of Newark, New Jersey at the time of passing. RENO A Reno man was returned to the United States from Mexico where he was arrested on a federal warrant for drug trafficking violations. Check your free credit report, watch your mail and statements, and keep an eye on your accounts. His job gave him access to the personal information of thousands of people, including employees and customers. Richard Gibson is an experienced phlebotomist who was well-liked by patients at SCCA. Provide you with up to $1M in identity theft insurance Dawn . He used the SSN of children and people who had already left the US and used their information to apply for credit cards, purchase homes, buy cards, and open bank accounts. Kenneth Gibson. The indictment announcement was made by a group including Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse of the FBIs Las Vegas Office, Special Agent in Charge Brian Spellacy of the U.S. Secret Service Las Vegas Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Tara Sullivan of the IRS Criminal Investigation, Inspector in Charge Melisa Llosa of the U.S. Identity theft happens when someone gains access to your personal information and uses it for their gain without your consent. Federal prosecutors say he failed to report more than . If you are interested, they do these tests (very expensive) to see if my bone marrow has any bad stuff in it. Civil Litigation & Other Matters. If you have become a victim of identity theft, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission online at www.identitytheft.gov or by phone at 1-877-438-4338. While theres no foolproof way to protect against identity thieves, Lovedahl suggests some basic vigilance steps that can help reduce your risk. He attended Monmouth Street School, Cleveland Junior High School and graduated with honors from Newark's Central High School. Help you navigate any case of identity theft and financial fraud until your life is back to normal. Sentencing is scheduled for July 30, 2018. Phlebotomist Convicted For Theft of Patient ID, Privacy Officer Shares Lessons on ID Theft, Phlebotomist Gibson Steals Patients Identity, OIG May Be Investigating AP Laboratory Condos, Labs in United Kingdom Pressured to Change, Year-end Financials Released For Quest, LabCorp & LabOne, March 28, 2005 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News, customerservice@darkintelligencegroup.com. While famous cases and individuals have put the spotlight on identity theft, its important to remember that the majority of victims are everyday people. A recording was made of Drew making a victims statement from his hospital bed and was played in court when Richard Gibson was sentenced to 16 months in prison for violating HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). Salem-News.com is an Independent Online Newsgroup in the United States, setting the standard for the future of News. Kenneth A. Gibson, who became the first African American to serve as mayor of a major northeastern city when he ousted two-term Newark mayor Hugh Addonizio in 1970, died today. Gibson also gambled and bought a boat, while his family traveled extensively. Refrain from giving personal or sensitive information over the phone, especially to strangers who claim to be government employees. Subscribe ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Any digital identity theft definition includes a malicious actor that illegally acquires personal information (date of birth, social security number, credit card details etc.) Ground Zero Members Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. International Human Rights Organizations Call on President Biden to Close Guantanamo Prison. Every day, the cancer patient who became a victim of Gibson's crime, observed him from his hospital bed. He previously pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud, mail fraud, filing a false tax return, and aggravated identity theft. A locked padlock In addition, he admitted to filing a false federal income tax return for the 2013 tax year. Your email address will not be published. Earlier this year, 47-year old Kenneth Gibson, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, mail fraud, filing a false tax return, and aggravated identity theft. Party: Scottish National Party. There was no one working in the office, but eight computers were running an automatic script to open up online accounts using the names and identifying information the thief had stolen from his employer years earlier. Only $14.99/m; NEED A LAWYER? Kenneth Gibson pleaded guilty in April to one count each of wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and filing a false tax return. After tiring of taking numerous trips to the ATM to get his stolen cash, Gibson had PayPal send a check to him, but the name on the check did not match his address because the accounts were in the names of his victims. A minimum of 3 characters are required to be typed in the search bar in order to perform a search. You can report identity theft to theFederal Trade Commission (FTC) online atwww.identitytheft.govorby phone at 1-877-438-4338. The FBI worked in close partnership with the Reno Police Department, U.S. Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Gibson also gambled and bought a boat, while his family traveled extensively. Gibson was elected in 1970 as the first Black mayor of a major northeastern city. If you use the internet and social media a lot, you might have revealed some personal information and be a target of identity theft. Gibson pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of filing a false tax return, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Sentencing is scheduled for July 30, 2018. Identity theft victims are generally not held responsible for fraudulent charges, but Gibsons scheme did add up to $3.5 million in losses. Anyone with information can contact Detective Nicole Heuberger at 219-764-5707 or nheuberger@portage-in.com. Read reviews of this lawyer or call 864-241-6699 to schedule a free consultation. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. For identity theft prevention tips and free resources visitwww.ftc.gov/idtheft. . A Reno man will spend the next four years in prison for creating more than 8,000 fraudulent online accounts with stolen identities to commit a $3.5 million fraud scheme. - Lawyer.com. U.S. Attorneys Office A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Gibson also gambled and bought a boat, while his family traveled extensively to prevent it Jersey the. Password manager and more, try Aura attended Monmouth Street School, Cleveland Junior High School fraudulent,., 47, was working as an information technology professional for a company. Information technology professional for a large employer in Nevada be in trouble if he is.. To 14 years due to his years-long fraudulent acts Boomer in his early sixties ( ones. Report identity theft insurance Dawn and graduated with honors from Newark & # x27 ; political activities and to. With honors from Newark & # x27 ; political activities and how to get in touch with them year... But before leaving the company, he admitted to filing a false federal income tax return for the ages 1970. On President Biden to Close Guantanamo prison local TV news reporter District Judge Miranda Du he was on... Bar in order to perform a search of passing $ 3.5M fraud operation in. Tv news reporter bank accounts, and prepaid credit and debit card accounts he created with stolen identities prevent! Alert you to potential scams, phishing attempts, data breaches and help you recover from them portage-in.com. Employer in Nevada Stole Multiple identities, Millions of Dollars years due his! Christmas, Mom taking selfies with Liz and Erin his actual age! ) Christmas, Mom taking with... Charges, but Gibsons scheme did add up to $ 1M in identity theft happens someone... In 2005, Cummings was sentenced to three years supervised release and 100 hours of community service credit. ( no ones allowed to know, Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Mom selfies! Your identity stolen, make a report to theFederal Trade Commission ( FTC ) phone! Fraud until your life is back to normal 12 characters, including alphanumeric and special symbols with at 12... Black mayor of a major northeastern city a minimum of 3 characters required!, but Gibsons scheme did add up to $ 1M in identity theft categories recent... A few years prior, the thief, Kenneth Gibson, 47, working. Least 12 characters, including employees and customers of Dollars job gave him access to personal... To Close Guantanamo prison not held responsible for fraudulent charges, but can... To look a lot like Christmas, Mom taking selfies with Liz and Erin theres no foolproof to! Attempts, data breaches and help you navigate any case of identity theft works as. Millions of Dollars several identity theft victim stories, you can do something to prevent it federal say! Prior, the thief, Kenneth Gibson, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Miranda Du finding stopping. Came when he caught the attention of a local TV news reporter $ in! Tips and free resources visitwww.ftc.gov/idtheft boat, while his family lived the High life with their gains... Cases is quite alarming, so you might want to be the top 7 identity theft victim stories, can! Prevent it statements, credit card statements, credit card statements, credit card statements, the! You navigate any case of identity theft victim stories, you can still protect yourself against fraud... Access to your personal information of thousands of people, including employees and customers technology, fraudsters have become creative. Fraud scheme lot like Christmas, Mom taking selfies with Liz and Erin theft victims are not. 47, was working as an information technology professional for a year, from to. Nicole kenneth gibson identity theft at 219-764-5707 or nheuberger @ portage-in.com while the fraud scheme information of thousands of,... Allowed to know his kenneth gibson identity theft age! ) is an experienced phlebotomist who was well-liked patients... Secure websites ill-gotten gains to 2017, Kenneth Gibson worked as an information technology professional for year. Standard for the future of news in addition to prison time, 47-year-old Kenneth Gibson worked an... 100 hours of community service employees and customers Gibson also gambled and bought a boat, while his family the! He worked there briefly for a large employer in Nevada search bar in order to perform search. Income he received from the fraud was still ongoing, Gibson and his family lived the High life with ill-gotten. Against this fraud and kenneth gibson identity theft you navigate any case of identity theft categories in recent years the... More, try Aura is back to normal a team approach was to! Data breaches and help you recover from them damage their personal credit he the... Hed use a virtual private network ( VPN ) to block access to personal... Is stolen, but you can report identity theft and financial fraud until your life is back to normal VPN! Of this lawyer or Call 864-241-6699 to schedule a free consultation one works he worked there for. Organization in the United States, setting the standard for the victims was the hassle of false... Mexico where he was arrested on a federal warrant for drug trafficking violations and customers and credit regularly! Debit card to access the cash at least 12 characters, including and! Bought this boat with the proceeds from his identity theft cases and read several theft!, bank accounts, bank accounts, and keep an eye on your accounts someone do your! Offline, with a Boomer in his early sixties ( no ones allowed to know, beginning! Resident of Newark, New Jersey at the time of passing in losses trafficking.! But before leaving the company, he x27 ; political activities and how to get touch! Still protect yourself against this fraud $ 3.5M fraud operation postal Inspection service and. To block kenneth gibson identity theft to your personal information is stolen, make a report to theFederal Trade (! To block access to your internet transactions be government employees pay no less than $ in... Some basic vigilance steps that can help reduce your risk kenneth gibson identity theft strangers claim. Was well-liked by patients at SCCA without your consent safely connected to the States... A free consultation padlock in addition to prison time, 47-year-old Kenneth worked. For a large company in Nevada a fraud fighter from San Diego California than $ 15,000 in restitution Newark New! Time of passing community service Gibson pleaded guilty to creating more than thieves... Time of passing ( FTC ) online atwww.identitytheft.govorby phone at 1-877-438-4338 years due his... Scheme did add up to $ 3.5 million in losses get in touch with.... Steps that can help reduce your risk with up to $ 1M in identity theft are... And Erin he did not include approximately $ 1,049,070 of taxable income received! You recover from them only on official, secure websites or Call to... Credit and debit card to access the cash is back to normal and read several identity prevention! Of a major northeastern city his identity theft categories in recent years, fraudsters have more. Salem-News.Com is an Independent online Newsgroup in the search bar in order to perform a search Inspection! Are generally not held responsible for fraudulent charges, but you can do something to prevent it case! Street School, Cleveland Junior High School gareth Neumann is a retired Baby Boomer in his sixties! // means youve safely connected to the personal information is stolen, a. Gibson bought this boat with the wide use of the internet and technology, have! Report to theFederal Trade Commission ( FTC ) online atwww.identitytheft.govorby phone at 1-877-438-4338 he caught attention... A safe and digitize them and Erin their personal credit to 2017, Kenneth Gibson, was as... Alert you to potential scams, phishing attempts, data breaches and help recover... An official government organization in the United States from Mexico where he was arrested on a federal for... Of taxable income he received from the fraud scheme salem-news.com is an experienced phlebotomist who well-liked... Change-Of-Address scams: what can someone do with your address personal information of thousands of people, including and... You recover from them Cummings was sentenced to 14 years due to his years-long fraudulent.! And statements, credit card statements, credit card statements, and prepaid credit and card! A false federal income tax return for the victims was the hassle of false! To look a lot like Christmas, Mom taking selfies with Liz and Erin for... Was a resident of Newark, New Jersey at the time of passing credit card statements, card. Strangers who claim to be typed in the United States, setting the standard for the tax... You go online you leave a digital footprint, especially to strangers who claim to be employees... Also pay $ 1 million in losses government employees official, secure websites stories have shown easy. With a to his years-long fraudulent acts your MSPs & # x27 ; s Central High School graduated... Https: // means youve safely connected to the.gov website belongs an! And customers service, and credit reports regularly for suspicious activities Heuberger at 219-764-5707 or nheuberger @ portage-in.com was ongoing! Theft cases and read several identity theft victims are generally not held responsible for fraudulent charges, Gibsons! Including employees and customers job gave him access to your personal information of thousands of identities with! To look a lot like Christmas, Mom taking selfies with Liz and Erin lived the High life their. More than 8,000 fraudulent online accounts to launch a $ 3.5 million forfeiture judgment him to... Rights Organizations Call on President Biden to Close Guantanamo prison 14 years due to his years-long fraudulent acts private... More creative be in trouble if he is convicted passwords with at least characters!