Woman disguises herself as recently deceased mother to obtain pension benefits

Working for a financial institution, you must keep a keen eye for suspicious activity involving pensions, short term loans and any other transfer of funds. By presenting stolen or tampered identification details, such as a social security number, address, date of birth and address, a criminal may be able to open fraudulent bank accounts, fake credit cards and receive funds. However, a daughter of a recently deceased mother took it an extra step and proceeded to disguise herself to receive benefits. According to The Bellingham Herald, Loewen B. Craft, 60, walked into a bank disguised as her mother attempting to obtain pension benefits of more than $145,000. If it wasn't clear before, it  now apparent that some identity thieves will go to extreme lengths to obtain money. The people you may suspect the least, such as relatives, may be stealing from consumers' pockets. Craft's sentencing could include up to four years in jail for first-degree theft, identity theft and six counts of forgery, and she may have to pay a $362,000 fine, according to the news source. If a relative of a debtor or client has recently deceased, be wary in the months following and immediately report suspicious activity before further fiscal damage impacts your agency.