Massive credit card and identity theft ring was busted by cops in Queens, New York. According to authorities the thieves took more than $3.5 million from consumers, banks and retail businesses.
The masterminds behind the identity theft and credit card scam used forged cards to go on shopping sprees to high-end electronic and fashion stores, purchasing tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, cops and prosecutors said.
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“This case provides yet another warning to the public that they must be diligent in the protection of their personal identifying information,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “Sometimes the solution can be something so simple as having a locked mailbox.”
The thieves ordered new credit cards for victims and plucked them out of the cardholders’ mailboxes when they were delivered, Brown said.
Cops arrested 19 people and charged them with crimes including larceny, forgery and criminal possession of stolen property.
The arrests were the result of a nearly two-year probe involving court-ordered wiretaps of conversations in Spanish, Hindi and Urdu.
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