USSS Bust Alleged Culprits for Stealing $10Mln in Treasury Dept Checks

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Eight members of an organized fraud ring were arrested for allegedly stealing over $10 million in US Department of Treasury checks, the US Secret Service announced in a statement.

“On April 23, 2015, the United States Secret Service Atlanta Field Office arrested eight members of an organized fraud ring accused of stealing over $10 million in US Treasury checks,” the statement, issued on Friday, read.

The Secret Service was tipped off of that the theft of the US Department of Treasury checks was at a postal facility in Atlanta, Georgia.

The alleged thieves used fake driver’s licenses, forged signatures as well as stolen Social Security numbers in order to cash the checks which included tax refunds, Social Security and Veteran’s benefits checks to use at various businesses, according to the statement.

To avoid getting caught, the alleged thefts fled to nine US states — Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Kentucky, Iowa, Louisiana, and Tennessee — to cash the checks, the Secret Service explained.

“Financial fraud is one of the largest challenges facing American citizens and businesses today,” Atlanta Field Office Special Agent in Charge Reginald Moore said in the statement.

Moore also said the Secret Service will continue to collaborate with its law enforcement partners to “target and arrest individuals who steal from unsuspecting victims.”

The case is still pending further investigation, according to the Secret Service.