BUFORD, Ga.—Even prison is not stopping some identity thieves from committing their crimes.
Inmates at two Georgia prisons have been indicted on charges of identity theft, with law enforcement officials identifying cellphones as the smoking gun.
World Magazine reported that smuggling smartphones into Georgia prisoners is widespread, with more than 7,000 phones confiscated from inmates in the past year.
Georgia inmate Mims Morris posed as a fraud specialist working for a credit card company and tried to trick people into revealing personal information. One woman provided details he then used to authorize a $2,200 transfer to his credit card, and from there he was able to apply for additional cards, World Magazine reported.
Working with a friend on the outside, Morris posted ads on Craigslist for fake construction and roofing jobs, listing his prison cellphone as the contact number. He planned to get job applicants’ personal information and use it to open debit cards in their names, the publication reported.
Besides identity theft, Morris and two other inmates used phones to traffic drugs while at Phillips State Prison in Buford, Ga.