A Georgia man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a Westchester woman’s identity and taking out a loan in her name.
Michael Anthony McCoy is suspected of conspiracy, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Sept. 17 in U.S. District Court, White Plains.
McCoy, and others known and unknown, allegedly victimized at least eight people and stole about $120,000 from seven banks, according to the charging papers.
Sean Smyth, a special agent for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in White Plains began investigating the scheme in April.
He found that beginning last December conspirators had gained use of individuals’ personal information, applied for loans in the victims’ names, and then moved funds from bogus loan accounts to a Venmo mobile payment account, according to the complaint.
On April 3, for instance, a Westchester credit union received an application to open an account in the name, address, date of birth and Social Security number of a Westchester woman. The applicant also provided what appeared to be a New York driver’s license with the woman’s personal information.
Then the applicant applied for a $15,000 personal loan. The bank reviewed and approved the loan application and deposited the funds in an account.
On April 12, the woman realized she was not getting her mail. She contacted her local post office and was told that someone had asked for her mail to be put on hold.
When she got her mail the next day, she saw a document from the credit union about the account opened in her name.
She notified the credit union on April 15 that her personal identity information had been stolen. The credit union removed the funds from the account.
On April 18, someone posing as the woman called the credit union to ask why the funds had been removed. The caller was told that the real person had not authorized the loan.
McCoy, of Powder Springs, Georgia, was connected to the scheme through cell phone records, a Venmo account, an email account, a credit card, and a postal service record.
McCoy was arrested in Georgia on Sept. 18, released on a $10,000 appearance bond and ordered by a federal judge in Atlanta to appear in White Plains federal court on Sept. 26.
