Identity theft complaints drop more than 21 percent in 2013, part 1 of 2

Jeffrey Emil Groover said he was very, very sorry for stealing the identities of several South Floridians — including a former owner of the New York Mets. He even offered helpful suggestions on how to stop people like him when he testified to a U.S. Senate committee while serving a federal prison term in 2004. But apparently Groover just couldn't stop himself. After his release, he again used other people's identities to steal money by claiming the victims had signed over checks to him for pest extermination services. Can't keep a bad man down. (See South Florida ID thief who testified to U.S. Senate strikes again by Paula McMahon, Sun Sentinel, May 30, 2013.)

Groover was a solo operator, but there's strength in numbers. The members of the "Felony Lane Gang," according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would steal ("smash and grab") checkbooks and driver's licenses from cars throughout the U.S. Then, they would drive through the "felony lanes" of banks (the lanes furthest from video cameras and tellers) and cash checks using the stolen personally identifiable information (PII). They stole more than $1 million from 250 victims in five years.