10,000 American ID Crime Rings

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A newly released study from risk management company ID Analytics says that’s how many groups in the U.S. are trying to commit identity fraud…

While many of these fraud rings are made up of two or more career criminals, surprisingly, others are family members or groups of friends. The ring members may be either stealing victims’ identities or improperly sharing and manipulating personal identifying information such as dates-of-birth (DOB) and Social Security numbers (SSNs) on applications for credit and services.

The ID Analytics study examined more than a billion applications for bankcards, wireless services and retail credit cards and found identity fraud rings attacking all three industries, with wireless carriers suffering from the most fraudulent activity. Georgia and South Carolina were two noted hotbeds of fraudulent activities across all three industries. Two bankcard fraud rings in Gainesville and Orlando, Florida each filed 200 applications.

The most common places for such a crime ring include Washington DC, Tampa, Detroit, Montgomery, Greenville, Miss. and Macon, Ga.

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