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Biggest Identity Thief Ever Gets Put Away

Posted by timothy on Tue Jan 11, 2005 07:02 PM
from the no-that-would-be-the-government dept.
Privacy Government The Courts News
Anonymous Brave Guy writes "Apparently computer helpdesk employee Philip Cummings had more than just a day job: he's just gone down for 14 years in the biggest identity theft case ever. Lots of fascinating nuggets of information in that story: apparently fake ID goes for as little as $60, and the total stolen over just a couple of years was somewhere in the $50m-100m range."
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  • Just write it off I guess (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Lindsay Lohan (847467) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:03PM (#11328567) Homepage Journal
    Philip Cummings, 35... a computer helpdesk employee...
    Losses have been estimated to be between $50m (£38m) and $100m (£76m).
    Cummings, who is still free on bail, must report to prison on 9 March. He is also due to pay compensation to be agreed at a later date.
    Something tells me the 30,000 people he scammed aren't going to see a dime. Since Phil is not allowed to compensate with stolen funds, and he is unlikely to be returning to his lucrative helpdesk job anytime soon, I doubt he'll be able to fork over even $1 per victim.

    • Re:Just write it off I guess (Score:4, Informative)

      by m3j00 (606453) <meeyou@nOSpAM.gmail.com> on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:08PM (#11328637)
      Something tells me the 30,000 people he scammed aren't going to see a dime. Since Phil is not allowed to compensate with stolen funds, and he is unlikely to be returning to his lucrative helpdesk job anytime soon, I doubt he'll be able to fork over even $1 per victim.

      The actual "victim" in these cases is almost always the creditor, not the person whose identity was stolen. It costs the person a bunch of time and energy to correct the problems, but the stolen money comes from the creditors, and they have a budget for fraud.
      • The actual "victim" in these cases is almost always the creditor

        Of course, the creditor makes up that money by charging everyone higher interest rates. Also, it IS possible for identity theft to lead to someone walking into a bank with your info, SSN, valid ID, et cetera and clear out your bank account. But most of the time it's the far easier credit card fraud.

        • It is a valid point, but the people themselves will get their money back (possibly less some fees depending on their bank). I'll use the example of my parents.

          A few years back, my mom lost her credit card, and the wrong person found it. They rang it up to the limit buying all sorts of stuff. They bought a couch, a few DVD's, paid their bills, and even set their car loan to automatically bill the card. My mom rarely uses it for anything, so the sudden spending spree must have set off alarm bells, and they c

            • Re:Just write it off I guess (Score:5, Interesting)

              by mindstrm (20013) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @08:20PM (#11329516)
              Yup, and that's how it is supposed to work. The onus is on the merchant to ensure that the person using the credit card is, in fat, authorized to use it.

              The credit card is a token, a symbol to show that a given issuer is extending you credit, and will pay the merchant on demand. It is not the credit itself.

              Far too many merchants do not check signatures and/or ask for identification.. and that's fine, because it's their gamble, not mine.

              You can generally contest any payment made on your credit card, and the merchant will have to demonstrate that you authorized the transaction, or he's out of luck. Barring a signature, or stuff shipped to your address, or perhaps video evidence, there isn't much they can do.

    • Re:Just write it off I guess (Score:5, Funny)

      by nizo (81281) * on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:10PM (#11328668) Homepage Journal
      But how much are all of his body parts worth at auction? Kidneys, corneas, heart, etc. Seems fair to me. Sadly still not enough I am sure.
      • But how much are all of his body parts worth at auction? Kidneys, corneas, heart, etc. Seems fair to me. Sadly still not enough I am sure.

        Writing this and being modded insightful +3...and they call the moslems barbaric.


    • Sure write it off. Or go after Teledata Communications the guy's employer. They should have some liability in this. 30,000 people makes for one powerful class action.

    • As this is a criminal case, the Feds may be able to recover whatever they can of the stolen funds and return it to the victims. That's assuming, of course, that they can find it.

  • Sorry (Score:4, Funny)

    by savagedome (742194) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:03PM (#11328572)
    I absolutely did not see this Cumming.

  • That should be good (Score:5, Informative)

    by albn (835144) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:04PM (#11328582) Journal
    People like this should be put away for a long time for ruining one's credit rating and making their lives a living hell. Restitution will be good too, but how much can you make in the can? not much.

    Good riddance.

    • Re:That should be good (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Thunderstruck (210399) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:12PM (#11328685)
      While I agree, having been a victim of identity theft (only once that I know of) Perhaps part of the problem is credit ratings themselves.

      There are other ways for a lender or landlord to learn whether a person is a risk. Most people have a reputation in their community that one need only ask to learn. Most credible people can provide credible references. The current addiction to putting everyone's number in a New Jersey database does more harm than good, especially when folks like Cummings come along.

      • No way (Score:3, Insightful)

        by siskbc (598067)
        There are other ways for a lender or landlord to learn whether a person is a risk. Most people have a reputation in their community that one need only ask to learn. Most credible people can provide credible references. The current addiction to putting everyone's number in a New Jersey database does more harm than good, especially when folks like Cummings come along.

        Like hell. First, that would be as useful as the references on a job application - no one pays attention to those, because if you can't get 3

          • Re:No way (Score:5, Interesting)

            by lubricated (49106) <michalp.gmail@com> on Tuesday January 11 2005, @09:03PM (#11329971)
            > I live in Dickinson, North Dakota.

            population 16,000 in the middle of a state that's in the middle of nowhere.

            And thus you know everything there is to know about meeting people in New York City.

            • Re:No way (Score:5, Funny)

              by dirkdidit (550955) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @09:17PM (#11330096) Homepage
              the middle of a state that's in the middle of nowhere

              Not to nitpick or anything, but Dickinson is slightly west and south of the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere is actually in Rugby, ND [rugbynorthdakota.com], which is the geographic center of North America.
              • Hey now, we're not all hicks up here. Yes, we have those people who part cars on blocks in front of their trailer, but so does every other state.

                We're rather intelligent, atleast when it comes to test scores. North Dakota has some of the highest educational test scores in the nation. We might live in a rural part of the country, but that doesn't mean we just live scattered out on the prairie, drinking beer and riding our tractors. Most people in North Dakota actually live in cities (well, what we call citi
    • People like this should be put away for a long time for ruining one's credit rating...

      I guess there are advantages to having a horrible credit rating after all!

      • Yes, my credit does suck, and cannot get any worse than it already is. The thing is, it might be a shocker for those who may have filed chapter 7 bankruptcy before the seven years are up and get a credit card bill for $20,000.

        I feel really bad for victims of identity theft, and these days of phishing, dumpster diving and the Internet for everyday users it is getting easier and easier to rip people off. It's sad and frustrating.

        I also have to agree the cost of unraveling the mess of trying to prove it was
    • You know, that wouldn't be such an issue if the credit reporting bureaus weren't incompetent arrogant dipshits when it comes to dealing with things like this.
      Harsh? Maybe, but I don't think it is overly so.

      Have you ever wondered why there are dozens of credit bureaus (3 major ones, I know) and why folks who are thinking of giving you a loan will check the 3 major ones and maybe some of the minor ones?
      It's because the data that each one has is so highly suspect that it is essentially useless.

      Credit bureaus

      • I'll bet that if the credit agencies were held legally responsable for the hearsay they recklessly spout about people they would do a much better job verifying the accuracy of their information. If you or I published a report based on hearsay that did significant damage to someone's reputation, we would end up in court. If we couldn't show darned good reasons why we believed the information we published, we would end up being ordered to pay restitution.

        Financial institutions aren't much better. Identity t

  • Curious... (Score:5, Funny)

    by MarkRose (820682) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:05PM (#11328600) Homepage
    What I want to know is, when they caught the guy, did they have a positive ID?

  • Why? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by grahamsz (150076) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:07PM (#11328629) Homepage Journal
    Why does a help desk operator have access to my credit report?

    Surely you can design a system where very few humans ever have contact with all of a persons information.

    I've dealt with on UK bank where when you wanted to perform certain transactions using telephone banking you were passed to a second tier operator and instructed not to give them your name.

    Presumably the system was set up such that no one person had enough confidential information on a single customer.

    The US really needs far stricter controls on SSNs - it's insane how often i need my ssn for day to day transactions.

    • Re:Why? (Score:3, Informative)

      by DoctorMO (720244)
      The UK has Data Protection laws now which mean that if employees have access to personal information they have to have a damn good reason, and if they don't the company is liable.
    • The Social Security number is being used for things it was not intended to be used for.

      • Re:Why? (Score:3, Informative)

        by me at werk (836328)
        Social Security numbers [wikipedia.org] were originally just a Tax ID, people wouldn't get them until age 16 or so (this was changed, according to wikipedia, in the 1980s when SSN's were required to list "dependants). It's sad, it was (as i'm told, I did not experience this) stated that it would "never be used as a national id" or something to that effect, and it has.

        At least it's not to the same extent (i think) that it is in the UK [theregister.co.uk]. But that's not to say it won't be.

    • Depends on the industry (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      When I worked for a broker, I had access to client SSNs, clearing house info for EFT, the whole nine yards. We were monitored, but that only went so far. Our tech support guys had all the same info.

      Oh, we passed all the industry regulation background searches, etc. In fact, I saw a number of people kicked out of my training class when the searches uncovered bounced checks, forgeries, and other financial crimes. But that's the thing - many people who do that stuff do keep trying to get jobs in the industry.
    • You're worried about a help desk worker? That grumpy guy behind the counter at the video store (going off of Hollywood video) has your address, phone, birthdate, names of family members (and b-dates), and SSN (and a simple print screen will print all that data off). This is at the lowest level. Higher up, you get credit card numbers cause we store those. Oh and you *can't* really delete an account, when we "delete" an account, we simply set it to do not rent to. All the data's there. And I'm not quite su

  • Oh good call, your Honor. (Score:5, Funny)

    by mikeophile (647318) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:09PM (#11328655)
    Cummings, who is still free on bail, must report to prison on 9 March.

    It's not like the guy could change his identity or anything.

  • It would be better for consumers if (Score:5, Interesting)

    by museumpeace (735109) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:10PM (#11328666) Journal
    this s**tbag's employer, Teledata Communications, was heavily fined...they must have had hundreds of complaints over the course of the thievery and never turned enough scrutiny on their own orgnaization to see the problem until way too late. I will be looking at which credit card issuers, banks, etc use Teledata Communications services and seeing if I can avoid doing business there.

    but who says their competition is any safer?

  • It never ceases to amaze me... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by bennomatic (691188) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:12PM (#11328687) Homepage
    ...that these folks just don't learn. People who do this get caught because they keep going and going and going. Once you have a few million, you don't need to scam anyone any more! Just invest and retire! You will eventually mess up, and you WILL get caught!!

    Of course, this sort of idiotic greed is what got them to start doing these bad things in the first place. I can't imagine trying to steal identities no matter how much the profit, myself.

  • NOT the biggest ID thief ever... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anita Coney (648748) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:15PM (#11328733)
    ... but the biggest ID theif ever caught.

  • ...to prison on 9 March.

    Are you kidding me? 14 years in Jail or move to Ecuador, hmmmmm?
  • Seems like all the huge criminal acts these days are inside jobs. Companies from grocery stores to office buildings are spying on their employees for this exact reason.

  • Fake ID (Score:4, Interesting)

    by MrRuslan (767128) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:18PM (#11328767) Homepage
    Here in NYC anyone can obtain a fake ID for under $50 bucks and it looks legit enogh to pass...And it's legal too because it has a disclamer in he back. I used to use one to get into clubs but i also used it (with my real info on it) to goto the bank because i always loose my wallet and i just get one for $30 bucks and i never had a problem with it...People who deal with money should be educated on whats real and whats not.
    • it's about stealing people's identities (by obtaining as much information about them) and setting up loans etc. in their name. The criminals then don't repay, the loan company comes knocking on the victims door and they then have to spend time and money reinstating their good name and credit rating.

      Identity theifs really are the lowest of the low as far as "white collar" crime goes, I hope this guy rots in a stinking cell for as long as possible.
    • I doubt a disclaimer on the back would get you off the hook if the front "looked legit enough to pass." If you used it as a fake id, it's a fake id and you could find yourself in a shitload of trouble.

      Consider four data points. First, would it be legal if you deposited a check with some nice hefty figure on the front, but a "not a valid check do not accept" notice on the back? Or do you think you'll get a hefty fine from your bank (at best)? People have tried this, it's not a theoretical question.

      Seco

  • What!?!?!? (Score:5, Funny)

    by mr_resident (222932) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @07:23PM (#11328833)
    HE's not Philip Cummings!

    I AM!!!

  • Meanwhile, at George Mason University.... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by 44BSD (701309) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @08:17PM (#11329476)
    32,000 staff and student ID records, including photographs and SSN's have been exposed [usatoday.com] to {h|cr}ackers, possibly for as long as two months. GMU is home to The Center for Secure Information Systems [gmu.edu]. In other news, the cobbler's children are going barefoot...

  • Why do you call this THEFT? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by r6144 (544027) <r6k@noSPAm.sohu.com> on Tuesday January 11 2005, @08:33PM (#11329661) Homepage Journal
    I agree with many slashdotters that copyright infringement is different from theft, so why do you call this "theft"? After all, the victim did not lose his identity, and if you consider the money as stolen (which may be true, but it is still somewhat different IMHO), it isn't the identity that got stolen...

    I'm not condoning the behavior, I just don't like the wording.

  • What a moron (Score:3, Insightful)

    by erroneus (253617) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @08:44PM (#11329790) Homepage
    You know, I feel that crime is bad and all... I wouldn't risk my future on it -- I know first-hand how damaging a felony can ruin a person's life as I've seen it. It's frightening really. Losing all those rights... even the ones you think you don't need. That said, it tweaks me more to see how stupid the average criminal really is. Take this guy for example.

    Using information collected from your work place is a REALLY stupid thing to do. When masses of ID theft cases are compiled, it seems pretty obvious that these collections will have things in common such as places where the stolen information was used. It stands to reason that there would be one or two places where a collection will have information in common such as where they shopped. This fact brings the people responsible one big step closer to being caught. From there it's simply a matter of detective work to narrow the selection of people down to a few or even one.

    When a crime is repeated over and over and over again, it simply increases the likelihood of being caught. I read somewhere here on Slashdot a bit of criminal advice that just makes too much sense. If you are going to commit a crime, make sure it has two criteria met: (1) It's big enough that it is worth the risks involved and (2) that you never EVER do it again.

    Criminals get caught because they do it and keep doing it. They also don't seem to plan to get away with it. Stupid stupid stupid....

  • How do other countries do this? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by JRHelgeson (576325) on Tuesday January 11 2005, @09:44PM (#11330330) Homepage Journal
    The USA uses the Social Security Number to apply for credit. How do citizens of other countries apply for credit? What unique identifying number do they use to identify themselves? Do they have companies similar to Experian, TransUnion or Equifax?
    • We just did everything we could to try to grow convincing facial hair. I was lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you think of it), since that and premature grayness run in my family. I could pass for 18 easily when I was 15, and even when I was 14 I had a hard time convincing the theater that I was still young enough to get the under-18 discount. Only a few places carded me for liquor by the time was 17 since I'd developed some visible gray streaks in my hair. That was before my state passed tougher laws on

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