Identity Theft Ring Targeted Apple Stores

Written on February 1, 2011 – 3:33 am | by Chloe Gatenby

Sources say an identity theft crime ring fraudulently purchased roughly $1 million dollars’ worth of merchandise from Apple Stores. Stolen credit card numbers were allegedly used to produce phony credit cards that were used to purchase iPhones, iPads, Macbooks and other products.

On Tuesday eight defendants have reportedly been arraigned. The arrests are expected to include members from all levels of the organization, including the alleged ringleader, 28-year-old Shaheed “Sha” Bilal, who coordinated the conspiracy from jail over the course of a year and a half.

The investigation was launched by Vance’s Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau, which was created in March last year to pursue these kinds of cases. Investigating cybercrime has a top priority for his office, said Vance. Other cybercrime cases invested by Vance’s office in recent months include an identity-theft ring targeting foreign students in the U.S. on visitor visas and an operation that used a computer virus, the “Zeus Trojan,” to steal banking information.

Identity Theft Protection Services