George Santos, a resident of San Francisco, California, has been charged with numerous felonies, including multiple counts of identity theft and credit card fraud.
The charges are in relation to a series of financial crimes allegedly committed by Mr. Santos over the past three years. Prosecutors allege that he has been stealing credit and debit card information from unsuspecting shoppers in order to make fraudulent purchases. Furthermore, he has been accused of creating false identities and using them to obtain real credit and debit cards, then using those cards to purchase items from online retailers.
Prosecutors have also accused Mr. Santos of using stolen social security numbers and other personal information to get approved for loans and credit cards, and then loading them with fraudulent charges. Furthermore, the DOJ has stated that he has also been paying existing bills with stolen cards, and using stolen credit card numbers to obtain refunded payments for items he never purchased.
The investigation into Mr. Santos began around two years ago, but the full extent of his crimes was just made public by the Department of Justice. If found guilty of all charges, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
It is important that people take extra caution when it comes to their personal information and financial activities online, as identity theft and credit card fraud are on the rise. By taking extra measures to secure your data, and avoiding questionable retailers and websites, you can minimise your chances of becoming a victim of these types of cybercrimes.
