Mass Effect 3 Identity Theft

[Violette Taps]

Takesome time to speak to each of the crew members then speak to Liara who says she has some info and wants to get everyone together to talk about it (she'll also offer the option to wait until later). Liara will explain that she's uncovered a casino owner that seems to be connected to the identity theft in some way. The goal is now to attend a black tie benefit at the casino, and have Brooks infiltrate the panic room where Khan is likely to be, while Shepard and his squad mates run interference for her on the casino floor.

Go up the stairs into the Casino and use the mingle option to interact with various patrons and employees. After a minute or so, Shepard will hear Brooks' voice asking him to meet her upstairs by the shaft. Find the stairs, head up, and take a left at the dance floor to find Brooks.

Brooks will give Shepard special lenses that allow him to see security wiring, and a box will pop up on the screen to alert the player of the current security threat. If the security threat status goes to "suspected", have Shepard find someone to mingle with as soon as possible to remove the threat.

To get the vent open for Brooks, Shepard needs to follow the wiring to the junction box past the other side of the dance floor. Before messing with the junction box he'll need to disable the security camera on the wall to the right of the junction box. Once the camera is disabled, Shepard only has a few seconds to bypass the junction box before the camera comes back on.

Spend some more time mingling and/or hitting the dance floor while Brooks begins to make her way through the vent. After a couple more minutes Brooks will alert Shepard that there is a guard directly below her. Head back downstairs and find a guard leaning against a partition wall. Have Shepard speak to him and narc out a supposed drug user in the bathroom, distracting the guard and clearing the way for Brooks.

Time for mingling while Shepard waits for Brooks' next communique. After a few minutes Brooks will tell Shepard the he needs to disable two sensors. Follow the red wiring on the floor to a sensor power box on a wall near the roulette tables. Before disabling the power box, Shepard needs to identify a nearby guard, and send his squad mate to distract him. Just look at the guard to select him, and use the same command Shepard uses in battle to order squad mates around. Once the guard is being distracted, Shepard has a short period of time to disable the sensor box (make sure the security threat is clear before starting).

With the first box disabled, follow the red wiring across the Casino to another box in a different gaming area. Use the same technique to distract the guard, but this box also has a security camera next to it which will need to be disabled before the box can be bypassed. Move quickly and remember if Shepard becomes suspected, just find someone to mingle with.

Once both boxes are disabled, a brief cut scene launches in which Brooks tells Shepard she's gotten herself in trouble and another guard will need to be distracted. Find the marked guard (back over by the roulette area) and distract him.

After a few more minutes of mingling Brooks will ask for Shepard's help with a security gate. Follow yellow wiring into a small side room with a couple of cameras and a guard. Send the squad mate to distract the guard, and disable the camera by the couch first, then quickly disable the other camera, before the first camera comes back online and while the guard is still distracted. With both cameras disabled quickly move to the right to find the sensor power box and disable it. Once it's successfully disabled, a cut scene will launch and this part of the mission will finish, returning the trio to Anderson's Apartment to try and gather information from Khan's drives and prepare for the next part of the mission.

States have experienced a surge in fraudulent unemployment claims filed by organized crime rings using stolen identities. Criminals are using these stolen identities to fraudulently collect benefits across multiple states.

Because unemployment benefits are taxable income, states issue Form 1099-G, Certain Government Payments, to recipients and to the IRS to report the amount of taxable compensation received and any withholding. Box 1 on the form shows "Unemployment Compensation." You should report fraud to the issuing state agency and request a corrected Form 1099-G.

To lure consumers to these fake websites, fraudsters send spam text messages and emails purporting to be from an SWA and containing a link. The fake websites are designed to trick consumers into thinking they are applying for unemployment benefits and disclosing personally identifiable information and other sensitive data. That information can then be used by fraudsters to commit identity theft.

JAMES B. COMEY, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and KEVIN P. DONOVAN, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, today announced the arrest of a defendant, PHILIP CUMMINGS, in what authorities believe to be the largest identity theft case in U.S. history. Mr. COMEY also announced the arrest of LINUS BAPTISTE and the guilty plea of HAKEEM MOHAMMED in related cases.

At some point in 2000, CUMMINGS moved to Georgia but allegedly ensured that the scheme could continue by traveling to New York to download credit reports for CW and then later giving a pre-programmed laptop computer to CW for CW to use to download the reports. He also allegedly taught CW how to access the Credit Bureaus and download the reports.

As alleged in the Complaint, CUMMINGS provided passwords and codes to CW that enabled CW to access all three Credit Bureaus Equifax, TransUnion and Experian over time. At various points in the scheme, when CW found that a code and password that CW had been using no longer worked, he allegedly called CUMMINGS. CUMMINGS would then allegedly give him a new password and code to use to continue the scheme. This happened on numerous occasions, th Government charged.

According to the complaints, the other co-conspirators to whom CW sold the credit reports provided, in the aggregate, tens of thousands of names and hundreds of thousands of dollars to CW for consumer credit reports. CW provided the credit reports to these other co-conspirators and split the money that they provided to CW with CUMMINGS.

As alleged in the Complaint, the number of victims in this case exceed 30,000, and the Government is in the process of determining the extent of the loss. To date, more than $2.7 million in financial loss has been confirmed. Consumers whose credit reports have been stolen in this scheme have reported many forms of identity fraud. As alleged in the Complaint, bank accounts holding tens of thousands of dollars in savings have been depleted; credit cards have been used to the tune of thousands of dollars without authorization; address changes have been made to accounts at various financial institutions; checks, debit cards, ATM cards and credit cards have been sent to unauthorized locations; and identities of victims have been assumed by others.

In a related case involving fraud perpetrated on several of these victims, on July 30, 2002, a defendant using the name HAKEEM MOHAMMED was charged with mail fraud in connection with an address change made to a line of credit opened by two of the Ford victims and the opening of accounts and lines of credit in the names of two other Ford victims. MOHAMMED entered a guilty plea to mail fraud and conspiracy charges on October 2, 2002, and is scheduled to be sentenced before United States District Judge GERALD E. LYNCH on January 8, 2003.

Mr. COMEY praised the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and thanked the United States Secret Service and the United States Postal Inspection Service for assisting in the investigation as well. Mr. COMEY also stated that the investigation is continuing.

Assistant United States Attorneys KATHERINE M. CHOO and JULIAN SCHREIBMAN are in charge of the CUMMINGS and BAPTISTE prosecutions. Assistant United States Attorney HARRY CHERNOFF is in charge of the MOHAMMED prosecution.

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This gateway provides the public with a one-stop resource for connecting with state websites and tip hotlines to report potential Unemployment Insurance claimant and employer fraud. Each of the phone numbers and web addresses listed below provide a direct contact to the state to report potential fraud. This information will help states to act quickly to stop the improper payment of unemployment benefits.

Employer fraud can include certain actions to avoid tax liability or establishing a fictitious employer account to enable fraudulent claims against that account. Claimant fraud can include knowingly submitting false information; continuing to collect benefits when knowing oneself to be ineligible; not being able and available to work while certifying for benefits under state law; or intentionally not reporting wages or income while collecting full benefits. Additionally, identity theft may result in unemployment insurance fraud that is not the fault of the employer or the identity theft victim.

All states are required to assess a penalty of not less than 15% of the amount of the fraudulent payment. Other penalties under state unemployment insurance laws generally include criminal prosecution with fines and/or incarceration; required repayment of fraudulently collected benefits; forfeiting future income tax refunds; and/or permanent loss of eligibility for unemployment compensation. Commission of unemployment benefit fraud may also be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice in federal courts under 18 U.S.C 1341 or other appropriate federal statutes.

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