Tellers Allegedly Stole Information Used for Fraud.

by. Jeffrey Roman

Five individuals, including three bank tellers, have been arrested and charged for their alleged role in a New York-area identity theft ring that targeted customers of local banks and resulted in $850,000 in fraud losses over four years.

The three bank tellers allegedly accessed and stole account numbers and Social Security numbers of hundreds of unsuspecting customers, according to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who announced the indictments Sept. 16. That information was then allegedly relayed to two other defendants, who used the information to create fake documents using the stolen customers’ information, the attorney general says.

The fake IDs were then used to withdraw money at bank branches in New York City, and Westchester and Orange counties, as well as Long Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, prosecutors allege.

The investigation, which was conducted by the attorney general’s Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau, revealed that the identity theft ring had been in operation for at least four years, authorities say.

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