Jury convicts HELOC ring member responsible for $8 Million in losses

According to court documents, the defendants and other co-conspirators used fee-based web databases to search for potential victims with large balances in home equity line of credit (HELOC) accounts. This information included name, address, date of birth, and social security number. Once the conspirators identified a victim they used other online databases to obtain information commonly used in security questions, such as the victim's mother's maiden name. The conspirators then obtained credit reports on the victims in order to verify personal information and account balances. Armed with the victim's personal information, the conspirators called the victim's financial institution, impersonated the victim, and transferred the majority of the available money from the HELOC account into an account from which a wire transfer could be sent. The conspirators would then wire transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars to domestic or overseas accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy. The conspirators used caller-ID spoofing services, prepaid cell phones and PC wireless cards, and transferred victims' home telephone numbers in order to impersonate the victim and avoid identifying themselves. Posted in: Account Takeover Identity Theft