Over 1,000 Stolen IDs Used to Steal $8 Million from US Phone Networks

Published on: 14th Feb 2013

­AT&T and T-Mobile USA have both been hit by an identity fraudster who is accused of stealing at least US$8 million from the companies.

The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced the arrest of Amadou Dia for using stolen identity documents to activate mobile phone accounts and then make phone calls to overseas telephone numbers that charged a premium connection fee.

They are accused of earning money from the premium rate lines, which they had set up.

The scheme allegedly compromised more than 1,000 identities -- nearly half of them belonging to members of the U.S. military -- between 2008 and 2013.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: "As alleged, Amadou Dia and his co-conspirators dialed for dollars - many millions of them - by stealing countless identities, including hundreds belonging to U.S. military personnel, and racking up international phone bills in their names that left telecom service providers holding the bag. Identity theft is an epidemic of global proportions and we are bound and determined to identify and prosecute those who engage in this illegal conduct."

Since 2008, approximately 3,400 fraudulent telephone accounts have been activated involving stolen identification information from more than 1,000 individual identity theft victims. According to records maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense, at least 450 or nearly half, of the identity theft victims targeted during the course of this scheme are active duty or retired United States military personnel.

Dia, 49, of Manhattan, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory minimum of two years in prison.

 

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