IDENTITY THEFT

A Detroit man pleaded guilty to stealing unemployment benefits from nine different states, and he tried and failed to do so in eight others, federal officials said.

Reports of identity theft in the U.S. doubled last year, and the problem isn’t going away anytime soon.

People collecting unemployment may be at risk of having their identity stolen.

During a bizarre call to a Troy hotel, officers said they learned about a slew of potential crimes committed by the people inside one of the rooms -- including kidnapping, drug use, mail theft, identity theft, lying several times to officers and kicking out the window of a police car.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a new consumer protection initiative in an effort to provide identity theft victims with resources and guidance to minimize damage caused by identity theft.

Two men are being accused of stealing mail from hundreds of Metro Detroit homes in an effort to defraud one or more banks. Justin Lohman and Justin Cutshaw are being charged with several federal criminal counts of identity theft, bank fraud stolen mail and aiding and abetting. A 13-page criminal complaint against the pair alleges that they knowingly possessed stolen mail and used personal identifying information contained within that stolen mail to execute an ongoing scheme to defraud one or more banks. At least four police departments are involved in the investigation, including departments from Grand Rapids, Livonia, Westland and West Bloomfield. Police also discovered 19 additional stolen mail victims from six different communities in evidence that the men left at a Grand Rapids hotel.

DETROIT – Absentee voting is presenting an opportunity for criminals to take your personal information. Millions of voters are expecting to vote absentee in November and scammers are aware of that. The BBB is tracking one regarding fake absentee ballot information. The scammer will ask if you want to sign up to get an absentee ballot, then will start asking for personal information. If you have questions about absentee voting you should contact your local clerk’s office or visit the Secretary of State’s website.

They got the photo of me and my daughter on profile picture and my little girl. I was kind of like devastated because I didnt know that this was going on, recalled Trowell. You know, I truly apologize for some nobody is truly not me, he apologized. Trowell made a post online in hopes people will see, although the profile looks like his -- Its not. If you havent had been in contact with these people face to face, face to face, Trowell warned.

LANSING, Mich. – The Unemployment Insurance Agency today provided Michigan consumers with resources to help protect against unemployment identity theft and steps to take if they are victim. “Anyone can be a victim of unemployment identity theft and we urge workers to take measures to safeguard their personal information. If this happens, contact the UIA immediately online at Michigan.gov/UIA through the Report Identity Theft link. Report fraud online at Michigan.gov/UIA through the Report Fraud or Report Identity Theft link. · Obtain the form online at gov Click on “Forms and instructions.”· For more resources for victims of identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s web site at gov for the most up-to-date information on combatting identity theft.