The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "stolen identities" ...
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"Just Like Us"
Author Helen Thorpe gives an in-depth look at the Mexican immigrant subculture within the U.S. Thorpe follows four Mexican girls, best friends, as they grow up in Denver. Two are legal residents, and two are not. When political arguments "over immigration rage fiercely," the girls struggle with the fate of their futures as the two without legal status learn they "do not possess equal opportunities or rights compared to" the others who do "possess legal status."
Tags: illegal immigration; Mexico; Denver; black market; stolen identity; fake documents; green card; Mexican immigrants
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Stolen Identities
After finding suspicious documents, the story reveals a huge identity theft ring. The police ignored the evidence, but the investigators used these records to track down the individuals involved in the scandal. After tracking down the individuals involved, the police decided to arrest, charge, and eventually convict them. Further, every victim had their identity returned to them.
Tags: local hospital; St. Anthony Central Hospital; law enforcement; patient records; stolen data; hospital worker; Sheriff Department
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Early on the Case: Identity Theft
A person's identity is stolen in the United States every three seconds. The investigation examined the underground world of identity theft and the online chat rooms where scammers buy and sell social security numbers, credit card information, bank account numbers and more. The series also investigated medical identity theft.
Tags: identity theft; scam; credit card; social security number; medical identity theft; chat room
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The Wrong Suspect
Kevin Wehner was announced as the prime suspect for the deaths of four Miami-Dade cops after Shawn LaBeet, a violent felon, had stolen his identity four years before. CBS4's investigation revealed that "a combination of both poor police work and lack of communication among local, state and federal agencies allowed Shawn LaBeet to remain free.
Tags: police; identity theft; local agency; state; federal; communication; assault weapons; drivers license; Florida; DMV; Department of Motor Vehicles;
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A Case of Identity
This story "exposed an escaped identity thief - a fugitive from another state living under a stolen name, dodging a pair of active arrest warrants. The story revealed conspicuous failure by law enforcement agencies, and ultimately led to the thief's arrest and conviction."
Tags: identity theft; stolen name; fugitive; online theft;
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To Catch an ID Thief
NBC worked with specialized investigators to penetrate an Internet underground "where criminals brazenly buy and sell credit cards, bank accounts, passwords, PIN codes and social security numbers." Their investigation tracked packages bought with stolen identities to a theft ring in Europe.
Tags: identity theft; Hansen Electronics; illegal charges; theft ring; Dateline
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Real Time ID Theft / Tracking the Thieves
The investigation revealed "floating" chat rooms in which identity thieves buy and sell stolen credit card and bank account numbers. It also followed investigators who lured thieves into ordering merchandise with stolen credit cards and then tracked them down using GPS-enabled cell phones.
Tags: computers; identity theft; chat rooms; stolen information; Internet Relay Chat; credit cards
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"Identities for Sale"
This segment tells the story of Mexican nationals buying stolen identities on the black market and proceeding to the U.S. to find work. 60 Minutes II then shows a factory in Nebraska where the illegal workers find jobs.
Tags: Illegal immigration; INS; stolen identities; black market; low wage workers; poverty
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"License to Steal"
The article relates to North Carolina's Department of Motor Vehicle's improper disposal of license information. By simply dumping the information, and not shredding its contents, this makes it easier for identities to be stolen, and other important private information (SSN, criminal record, etc.) to be used for fraud.
Tags: Department of Motor Vehicles; identity theft; drivers license
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Internet Insecurity
A Time cover story looks at the increasing risks posed by identity thieves on the Net. Reporter Adam Cohen uses a quite nontraditional approach: he steals the identity of his colleague Joel Stein, with the editors' knowledge, and reveals what it feels like to peek in somebody else's e-mails and computer hard drive. The story lists nine Internet's threats to privacy, followed by ten ways individuals can defend themselves. "Microsoft conceded that all versions of Windows 2000, and early "beta" viruses of its new XP operating system... have a "serious vulnerability," Time reports. In conclusion, Cohen's co-worker Joel Stein tells a real story about his AmEx credit card identity being stolen and charged with hundreds of dollars in the past.
Tags: The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse; Sun Microsystems; cyberspace; browsers; Doubleclick; e-commerce; SpectorSoft's e-blaster; spyware; WinWhatWhere Investigator; Orifice; cyberstalkers