This past week Julian Okeayaninneh and Olugbenga Adeniran were sentenced to federal prison in regard to scams and identity theft related to information taken from many banks including JP Morgan Chase Bank, TCF Bank, US Bank and Wachovia Bank that resulted in identity theft losses of fifty million dollars.  The information was obtained for the convicted identity thieves by corrupt employees at these banks.

TIPS

Despite your best efforts to protect your personal data, you can always become a victim of identity theft due to the negligence of companies that hold your personal data or even when despite the best efforts of these companies, their data banks become compromised.  Always review your bank statements and credit card statements carefully every month to identify any irregularity and review your credit report at least annually to make sure you have not become a victim of identity theft.  Setting up  a credit freeze of your credit report is also a good preventative action to take.