Charlestown man sentenced to prison for unemployment fraud | #phishing | #scams | #education | #technology | #infosec

BOSTON (WWLP) – A man using a false identity from Charleston was sentenced to charges arising from his use of the name and Social Security number of a U.S. citizen.

According to Department of Justice in Boston, “John Doe” was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty of false statements on a United States passport application, false representation of a Social Security number, three counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Doe used the name and personally identifiable information of a Puerto Rican resident to apply for Unemployment Insurance with the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance. The approved claim was used from April through September 2020, in which Doe fraudulently received over $15,000 in benefits under the stolen identity.

In 2010, Doe used the victim’s name and personally identifiable information to apply for a United States passport and duplicated the victim’s driver’s license in 2017. During the investigation, Doe had been using the victim’s name and personal identifiers since at least 2000. He also provided police with four other names he used to apply for and receive driver’s licenses since 1992.