New Jersey Men Charged with Identity Theft

Freehold, NJIdentity theft fraud can occur even when a consumer performs a transaction in person, thanks to sophisticated systems that allow purveyors of identity theft scams to access accounts, passwords and other private information. The 5/6/10 edition of the Asbury Park Press details one of the most recent cases of identity theft and credit card fraud, alleged to have occurred at a New Jersey restaurant.

Armando Sampayo-Carro, 18, and Diego Aranzu Dominguez-Jaimez, 21, both from Lakewood, were charged with two additional counts of identity theft and credit card theft after police identified two more victims in the case. Those victims signed complaints, which add to the complaints already on file against the two men, who formerly worked at the Subway restaurant located at Freehold Raceway Mall.

So far, an investigation has not revealed just how the fraud occurred, but evidence suggests that the two former employees recorded and archived credit card and debit card numbers that were later used for fraudulent means.

The operation was discovered April 26, with the latest thefts occurring on April 16 and 17, according to Freehold Township Detective George A Burdge III, who worked with East Windsor police on the case.

The Asbury Park Press reported that a Lakewood man found over a thousand dollars in fraudulent charges on his debit account, while a Jackson woman discovered $900 worth of charges she had no record of making on her debit account.

The latest victims reported the identity theft fraud to their bank, but had no idea the fraud was connected to the two former Subway employees until reading about the matter in local media. When the two accused were served with the latest complaints, they were already in Monmouth County Jail, where they have been held in lieu of bail since their arrest in April on charges of identity theft and credit card theft.

Identity theft cases are always of interest to consumers, as they often see themselves as potential victims. And with good reason: the number of transactions consumers put through credit cards and debit cards, both in person and online, continues to skyrocket. While banks and retailers offer secure sites, hackers are forever finding ways to tap into data assumed to be safe from criminals.