Camden man busted in identity theft scheme

A Camden, New Jersey, man was arrested amidst allegations that he ran a simple, but damaging, identity theft scheme that involved stealing personal checks out of mailboxes and mail trucks, the Gloucester County Times reports. The paper details that Nathaniel Johnson and his wife were responsible for an identity theft ring that lasted approximately six months between November 2009 and April 2010. By stealing mail from carriers and mailboxes, the pair obtained bank account numbers and social security numbers, plus unemployment insurance and social security checks. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman told the Camden Courier Post that Johnson and his wife, Lakisha Scanes, used postal trucks and mailboxes like "a personal piggy bank." According to the Times, the pair ascertained falsified documents for check cashiers at a number of identity verification outlets in the Camden area. Additionally, Johnson disclosed a plan that involved a check cashing business and paid off cashiers with a percentage of the money obtained. The Times reports that the scheme cost the victims upwards of $70,000.