WILMINGTON, N.C. – Two Lenoir County women, Kendra Edmondson, 39, and Britteny Dryer, 35, each pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud after they and others defrauded the federal government of more than $187,000 by submitting fraudulent North Carolina Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (NC HOPE) loan applications for emergency rental assistance. As part of the scheme, the defendants and their associates submitted fictitious tenant lease agreements for multiple Lenoir County properties to support those applications. Each faces up to thirty years in federal prison and a $1,000,000 fine when the court sentences them later this year.
“These two lowdown fraudsters chose to milk the system by lining their pockets while hardworking taxpayers rolled up their sleeves during the pandemic. Do what your parents taught you, don’t steal. Cheaters. Never. Win,” said U.S….
Identity theft is the “foundational” fraud upon which many other crimes are built. It involves the unauthorized acquisition and use of a person’s personal identifying information (PII), such as an ID number, Social Security number, or passport details.
- How it works: Fraudsters obtain PII through data breaches, mail theft, or “social engineering” (tricking people into revealing details). Once they have this data, they can open new bank accounts, apply for credit cards or loans, and even receive medical treatment under your name.
- Synthetic Identity Fraud: A sophisticated variation where criminals combine real and fabricated information to create a completely new, “synthetic” person. This is particularly difficult to detect because there is no single victim to report the suspicious activity initially.