This month the Texas Department of Public Safety revealed that 4,800 people have been impacted by an identity theft scam targeting Asian residents, wrote Hojun Choi of The Dallas Morning News. This is about 1,800 more people than previously estimated when news of the scheme broke two months ago.
Lauren McGaughy and Allie Morris of The Dallas Morning News first reported it in February when DPS Director Steven McCraw told Texas lawmakers that thousands of Texas driver's licenses, bearing Asian names, were sent to an international organized crime group. McCraw described the people responsible as part of “a Chinese organized crime group based in New York working in a number of different states."
State officials became aware of the fraud in late 2022, but it was not publicized immediately because state and federal agencies were concentrated on investigating and apprehending suspects, some of whom have already been arrested, McCraw said in February.
This decision to keep quiet drew heavy criticism. "It really goes to show that our state government does not see us and does not care about us and does not prioritize our welfare," Lily Trieu, executive director of Asian Texans for Justice, told Kimmy Yam of NBC News. The crime group found victims' personal information through the "dark web" and hidden sites, Yam reported. They were then able to use that information to log on to the state's license system. Data like previous addresses and maiden names helped them answer security questions.
"[They] use those questions to be able to get into and purchase a replacement driver’s license on Asian-sounding names. And from that, get a replacement driver’s license sent to an address of their choosing," McCraw said, per NBC News. The group sold the licenses to undocumented immigrants. McCraw clarified that this was not a cybersecurity issue since no state system was hacked, but rather a "vulnerability" in the intended process. Jeoff Williams, deputy director of law enforcement services at DPS, assured lawmakers that preventive measures have been added, and credit card transactions now require a billing zip code and the three-digit CVV code.
But for many, the damage may have already been done. North Texan Ping Du spoke with The Dallas Morning News about how he was first alerted to a problem when his bank sent him an unexpected alert in December. Someone had tried to pose as him at another bank branch in New York. Du froze his account, but continued to receive notifications about other fraudulent attempts over the next couple of months.
"I have to be on constant alert," Du told The Dallas Morning News in February. "I literally have to get up at night just to make sure that I don't have any alerts coming in. Then you have to worry about if they got into my other accounts."
Authorities are still investigating, and DPS has since posted more information about the incident on its site, along with letters addressed to scam victims translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. The agency advises those who suspect they've had their identities stolen to report it through iwatchtx.org.
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April 16, 2023 at 09:01PM
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Scam targeting Asian Texans leave 4,800 people at risk - Chron
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