Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced charges against eight individuals in a “massive” $8.8 million bank fraud ring on Wednesday. The attorney general said the scheme started after three bank employees began sharing and selling bank account information of senior customers through an encrypted mobile messaging app.
“Today, we announced the takedown of eight criminals who targeted seniors and stole $8.8 million from over 230 victims. They’re facing charges such as RICO, criminal use of personal information, and other serious felonies,” Uthmeier said in a press release. “I’m grateful for the hard work of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in hunting these fraudsters down. Our Office of Statewide Prosecution will now get to work and hold them accountable.”
According to the release, a law enforcement investigation found that the defendants allegedly used victims’ names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, and bank account information to transfer money into accounts the defendants opened. They then supposedly expended the stolen funds amongst themselves or made purchases which included buying a new car…