Okay, all credit card fraud is pretty heinous. But some thieves go over the top. Here are some of the most outrageous cases of credit card fraud from July 2009:
El Paso, TX: Jose Adrian Castillo was arrested and charged with fraud. His method? Playing on the sympathies of elderly women by telling them he was dying of cancer. Of course, the ladies couldn’t deny Castillo’s dying requests, so they let the con man borrow their credit cards. He ran up tabs as high as $25,000 on these ill-gotten cards before police finally caught up to him.
Vermilion, OH: Jason Truxel was the victim of identity theft. Someone had used his personal information to open up lines of credit, obtain a mortgage, and even receive tax refunds. Imagine Truxel’s shock when he learned that the fraudster was his own dad! Sadly, statistics show that parents frequently steal their kids’ identities.
Cross Lanes, WV: A computer programmer named Martin Bowling decided to go on an identity-stealing spree. His target? The subscribers of ‘Woodcrafters Magazine’. He made off with $4,500 and purchased - among other things - an automatic litter box.
Remember: identity theft and credit card fraud happen every day. You can protect yourself by using Smart Cards, keeping your passwords safe, and never clicking on links contained in e-mails - no matter how official they seem.
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