Washington Women Plead Guilty in $229,000 Mail-Theft Identity Fraud Scheme

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 18

Emily Vranic and Heather Marquis pleaded guilty in federal court this month to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft after prosecutors said they stole nearly $229,000.
Using documents taken from stolen mail, the Bremerton, Washington, women opened credit cards and credit lines in other people's names, then redirected statements to an address they controlled.
That tactic can keep fraud hidden for 30 to 60 days or longer because new accounts may not appear on a victim's credit report until after the first statement closes and bureau updates post.
Identity Theft Resource Center data cited in the report shows 62.1% of attempted identity misuse starts with new-account applications, with credit cards making up 41% of those cases.
The case underscores standard defenses: contact the issuer, file at IdentityTheft.gov, dispute the account with lenders and bureaus, and freeze credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.