Scammers abuse identity of collapsed Florida building victims

The personal data of victims of the collapsed apartment building in Surfside, USA, was used for identity fraud. Police in Florida arrested three suspects on Wednesday requesting credit cards with the identity of five fatalities and two survivors of the disaster. The scammers managed to capture at least 45,000 dollars.

The scammers, two women and a man between the ages of 30 and 38, used IDs from residents of the apartment building in Surfside, Florida, USA. The building collapsed at the end of June, due to an unknown cause, and 98 people died. For weeks, people were looking for victims in the rubble.

The case came to light when one of the next of kin discovered in early July that her late sister’s bank account had been tampered with. For example, passwords of the victim’s bank accounts and credit cards were changed, as were addresses and contact details. The police began an investigation and came across the three scammers.

“Nothing is real about these people except their names” said prosecutor Rundle at the press conference.

Among other things, the scammers bought shoes and luxury handbags with the requested credit cards. They are accused of fraud, identity theft and forgery.