Back in 1995, a friend of mine, Eric, had a few financial problems.
Eric had just turned 18 and was delighting in his new-found ability to use credit cards.
Well, his older brother, Greg, whose life consisted of staying at home, playing the piano, playing video games, eating and sleeping, decided that he wanted in on that action as well. He stole Eric’s credit card and bought a ton of things, including a rather ridiculous hat.
Eric, being young and stupid (actually he’s still stupid) ended up having to pay for the things that his brother bought on his credit card. He was pissed for a long time, and ended up joining the Marines and going to Japan for a while.
And I get angry when someone snakes my fries.
Both 22-year-old Jocelyn Kirsch and her boyfriend, 25-year-old Edward Anderton were from privileged backgrounds, with supportive families sending them to the best private schools and giving them every advantage.
Jocelyn was studying at Drexel University, and Edward, assisted by his family’s connections, had landed a cushy job as a financial analyst.
By all accounts, they lived a comfortable life. Certainly their $3000 a month Rittenhouse Square apartment was a nice one.
Enough wasn’t enough, however. Greed crept into the picture.
Jocelyn Kirsch and Edward K. Anderton, armed with keys that allowed them to rummage through their neighbor’s mailboxes and apartments, intercepted credit cards, financial statements and all the other documents that identity thieves use to steal from other people.
They did this for at least two years before anyone really caught on, and enjoyed every moment of it.
The scheme, which pulled in at least $100,000 just in 2007, paid for their trips to Paris, Hawaii and London. $100,000 goes a long way, even when you’re spending $1700 for hair extensions at an upscale salon.
The scheme began to unravel on the 19th of November, 2007, when one of their neighbors began to wonder if her identity had been stolen, and she made some calls.
On the 20th of November, after being called by a local UPS store about a package being held for her, a package that she had not ordered, another of Jocelyn and Edward’s neighbors notified authorities that something was up.
Police set up a stakeout at the store, watching who came in and waiting for someone to pick up that particular package.
On the 30th of November, 2007, Jocelyn Kirsch and Edward Anderton walked into the UPS store, asked for that package and were promptly arrested.
A warrant to search their apartment was asked for and granted, and it turned out that Jocelyn and Edward were more than casual identity thieves.
Inside the apartment were four computers, two printers, a scanner and, surprisingly, an industrial machine that makes ID cards. There was also over $17,000 in cash, a nice assortment of over 20 stolen credit cards and several fake drivers’ licenses, along with the keys that the pair were using to access their neighbor’s mailboxes and apartments.
The malice evident in the pair was made apparent when police found a nice little book entitled, The Art of Cheating
Jocelyn Kirsch and Edward K. Anderton, pictured here in Paris, were charged with identity theft, forgery, unlawful use of a computer and a number of other charges.
Authorities are still investigating the extent of the financial damage these two caused, and are quite sure that there are still victims out there who may either not know they have been victimized or who are too embarrassed to report it.
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How much hassle do you think their neighbors had to go through in order to get their financial lives back in order? Bills that went unpaid because money disappeared at the wrong time from people’s accounts, credit ratings ruined, embarrassment when their credit cards were declined…
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If you listen to the radio at all, you’ve probably heard their commercials where the CEO, Todd Davis, gives out his social security number on the air.
If you don’t think this can happen to you, you’re sorely mistaken. In just 2006, over 56 billion dollars was stolen due to identity theft, with an average of $6,383 stolen per person. Most of these ill-gotten gains were accessed through a stolen credit card, or a stolen credit card number.
A study done has shown that only 15 percent of identity theft victims find out about the theft through proactive action taken by a business - which means if a thief takes your credit card and uses it at Best Buy, according to statistics there’s only a 15 percent chance that Best Buy will let you know about the misuse of the credit card. Most retailers simply don’t bother.
Victims of identity theft spend an average of about 40 hours fixing the damage that has been done to their credit and their finances. If you hate being on the phone with banks and credit bureaus as much as I do, imagine spending 40 hours of your life doing that repairing the damage some asshole did to your financial situation.
The most disturbing aspect of that study was that the emotional impact of going through this kind of situation, the stress involved in dealing with the results, was almost exactly the same as the stress and emotional impact a victim of a violent crime goes through.
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Read how Owen Warren dealt with his experience with credit identity fraud.
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I don’t think that identity theft is a hell-worthy offense. I’ve been the victim of identity theft, and while it feels good knowing that the person who tried to steal my money went to jail, I would certainly never condemn her to hell. These two are obviously just spoiled little rich kids who were raised with little to no morals and don’t fully appreciate the value of a dollar. Lock ‘em up, but don’t throw away the key.
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Maddywoo reply on April 22nd, 2008:
Which is why they deserve to be condemmed; Not please don’t get me wrong, but that’s heavy! Two spoiled rich kids with money already felt the need to STEAL from various hard working people just to be the envy of everyone in their surroundings, not to forget the broad lied so much and so hard she could be Satan’s cousin once removed. How is that not worthy? I know I’m not suppose to feel this way but how can that crap not piss anyone off? I mean think about it as if you were in this exact situation: Some bums steal your identity, swipe thousands and thousands of dollars out of your hard earned bank account, meaning you CAN’T pay your bills and CAN’T provide for yourself or your family like you should. And even if these bums are caught, your credit is damaged and its gonna take you yeeeeeears to get your score back to par and the stress? Oh boy. Yeah, in the spirit of God, if they choice redemption they will redemmed but as for now for the people they’ve truly caused harm to, its not enough. They even went as far as to steal from their friends, though that one girl was just stupid. Letting someone take 600 bucks from your account, knowing they were staring you down as you pinned in your number and a little later your card’s gone? C’mon….
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The Danger Zone reply on October 18th, 2008:
I’ve said this before, but some don’t seem to get it so I’ll say it again…. When some steals from you look at it this way….
Consider the cost of what was stolen….
Now, take into consideration how much you make an hour, month, year. And figure out how long you had to work for that item, don’t forget taxes.
Next figure in how many hours you spend reporting, prosecuting and replacing what was stolen…
What could you do with that time?
When my house was broken into I had spent 20 years accumulating what was stolen… 20 years of hard work, sweat, perseverance…
Those 20 years could of been spent with my kids… When they stole, they stole my time with my kids, they stole the food off my children’s plates, they stole the clothes off their backs and the pillows where they rest their head….
Slavery in this country ended 240 years ago… Or did it? Stealing is just a way of making someone your slave…
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anti becky reply on May 12th, 2008:
YOU DESERVE TO HAVE YOUR IDENTITY STOLEN!
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dave reply on October 26th, 2008:
i actually knew eddie in high school…..he definitely wasn’t a rich kid. his parents sacrificed a ton to get him where he was. his dad did the research for the scholarships he got, and then even got a second job to make sure ends met. eddie was never a bad person, but easily caught up in the moment. really driven though, this totally surprised me. i figured he would end up successful, just because he was a smart kid and worked super hard. really sad for the family.
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I agree, I don’t think what they did is all that terrible compared to some of the dregs of the earth we read about everyday. These two definately did leave a lot of victims in their path and definately deserve prison time. One thing I don’t get is that according to all reports these kids were already set and their families already had money so I am not understanding why they felt the need to steal… like becky said, probably just some dumb spoiled rich kids who were handed too much on a silver platter to appreciate anything….i think the best punishment will be a little prison time and when they get out garnish their paychecks until they have paid back every penny to every person they ever stole from…
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Daddy flew in and bailed his precious Jocelyn Kirsch out.
Greed.
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BERNIE reply on October 18th, 2008:
THAT’S BEING A GOOD JEW. DO NOT PASS GO - GO STRAIGHT - STRAIGHT TO HELL!
BERNIE
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Well, they may not end up in the inner rings of hell; but, maybe they will be in the “boring” section. Does hell have a place like Branson MO? Can’t get much closer to Purgatory than that!
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Jocelyn is too hot for hell (is that an oxymoron?) anyways, I agree, they don’t really deserve hell. It’s a different story to be on this site admin, but it works I guess. Stuff like this sucks, but it’s really doesn’t deserve hell. Interesting choice of topic admin
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they can go to hell for all I care. what useless, arrogasnt, spoiled, selfish ASSES. Hope they both get cancer or something and suffer debt and pain. worthless lives when so many others focus their lives working, taking care of themselves and family and heaven forbid helping others. pity their parents.
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There are so many easy ways to steal much more money than that with about a thousand times less risk.
Their problem isn’t greed, it’s stupidity. Seriously, why the hell would you order something to your target’s address? Why would you even think about using the credit cards of neighbors, or anyone you could be linked to?
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P.S. Jocelyn, call me~ <3
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self centered jerks. what comes round goes round!
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Identity theft is extremely horrible, so either I’m either feeling pretty merciful or I just don’t think it’s worthy of hell. The other things I read here on PYSIH that make me feel sick or like punching people in the face numerous times (but I still love to come back anyway), such as raping babies or murdering people, now that deserves hell.
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Of course, not that I’m saying it’s excusable - it’s definitely not. I just don’t think it’s worthy of hell. Yes, these two definitely are EXTREMELY self-centered. They already have plenty and are just taking from those who are worse off than them. But like I said, I think there are plenty of other things that deserve hell MORE. :)
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another no from me. they deserve jailtime and if there is a thing like devine justice, they’ll spend their lives in poverty. Unfortunatly as our admin stated, daddy’s come to bail his little girl out already and she’ll probably get one of the best lawyers money can buy.
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I hate the fact that this iste has turned into an ad rag. You had a great thing going for a while and now it seems like every story has some advertisement for background checks or some other thing. I understand that everyone has to make a living, but this is akin to selling out. I’m sorry for you, I miss the stories that were ad-free. You should go back to that and quit being an advertising medium.
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well then you wont mind helping him pay for keeping this site going then will you jimmy…
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nothing is free Jimmy.
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We read a metric shit ton of news stories every day that would curl your toes.
After we finish reading these stories, we cannot recommend enough that you buy access to a background service, even if it isn’t the one that we promote.
Run a background check, even if it’s a cursory one, on anyone who has access to you or your family.
As for advertising, I’m sure you’ll develop ad-blindness soon enough to anything we develop.
In the meantime, enjoy the free website!
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If Jocelyn were and ugly woman, I don’t think people would be so forgiving.
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Maddywoo reply on April 22nd, 2008:
I know that’s right
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BERNIE reply on October 18th, 2008:
No they wouldn’t - She certainly could have banged her way out of or into any situation she chose too.
Heebe
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TurtleMania reply on October 26th, 2008:
She is ugly.
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She got a freakin’ facelift! Ever notice how her face is a little too perfect? Read between the lines.
Dante reserved the upper rings of hell for people like this pair of miscreants. Utter human refuse like Pol Pot go straight to the goddamned bottom.
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she works in my home town now im never using my bank card at the starbucks in north napa in the silverado plaza i used to think she was good looking!!! Money hungry hoes
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i think people should be writing starbucks for being so stupid to hire someone that was caught red handed for id theft and allowing that person to handle so many people’s credit cards on a daily basis. nice starbucks.
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whoa, i went to high school with that chick.
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this story makes me so fucking mad. $60,000 a year at 25 with rich parents and this douche NEEDS more more more. Top tier colleges and all that privilege can’t buy class. I’m not surprised with the girl, most women are looking for money above ALL else, at least here in LA. Did you see that American chick who was shot dead along with 3 Mexicans in Mexico in a stolen car, she was hot too. Drugs + Money = Dead Hot Chick
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I hope some dyke rapes her in prison
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at least an eye for an eye. reparations are definitely in order for every crime. let the victims use their identities for a while a rack up some debt, it’s only fair right
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UPDATE: JOCELYN KIRSCH GETS FIVE YEAR SENTENCE
From the Philadelphia Inquirer article
October 17, 2008
“Jocelyn S. Kirsch, the former Drexel University student who pleaded guilty to engaging in a bold identity-fraud scam, was sentenced this morning to five years in prison.
“This sentence properly punishes the defendant, provides full restitution and protects the public,” said U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno at the close of a two-hour hearing this morning.
The judge said the crimes were serious.
“There’s no apparent object to these acts other than greed and a desire to fuel a lavish lifestyle,” said Robreno. “A message must be sent out from this sentence that credit card fraud will not pay.”
Robreno also ordered Kirsch, 23, to receive mental-health treatment in prison and to be supervised by probation officials for five years when she is released from prison. He also ordered her to pay just over $100,000 in restitution, minus several thousand dollars already set aside for the repayment.
Kirsch, in a voice barely audible, apologized for her actions during the sentencing hearing in federal court in Philadelphia. She showed no visible reaction when the sentence was imposed and was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs.
Kirsch, who has been in custody since June, pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy, access-device fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Her boyfriend and Codefendent, Edward K. Anderton accepted a similar plea bargain and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 14, 2008. He is likely to be sentenced to five years.”
This chick Jocelyn is definitely a few bricks shy of a full load. While she was under house arrest, waiting for her lawyers and the prosecutors to work out a plea bargain, she STOLE ANOTHER CREDIT CARD! No doubt she’s fucked in the head, but her lawyers tried to get her leniency because of he difficult childhood. Some interesting things came out during that part of the sentencing hearing. When she turned 18, her father Lee Kirsch, a cosmetic surgeon, gave her a set of breast implants. He even performed the surgery himself. Nice guy, huh? Mom split for California right after she graduated High School, and she hasn’t spoken to her only brother in many years. She’s been acting out since middle school, where a string of arrests for shoplifting began and continued thru her days a Drexal University. Fortunately U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno thinks about as much of the shitty childhood defense as I do and was having none of that.
He did order her to undergo psychiatric treatment while in prison, which is probably a very good thing. Smart guy, that Judge Robreno.
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TurtleMania reply on October 26th, 2008:
My childhood was worse. Sorry shitbag excuse, and she attended Drexel? Ha!
If she went through half the stuff I went through, she probably would’ve committed suicide so used to her privileged life and all. She is still one ugly bitch. I’d rather bone Tiara Dawn Phillips. I don’t pity her and I wish she got a longer jail sentence.
Assholes know when to be meek like lambs during trial but were brazen assholes when they did the crime.
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Max The Cat reply on October 27th, 2008:
I know exactly what you mean Turtle. My dad was a drunk while I was growing up. You know, the stupid, sloppy, embarrass-the-hell-out-of-you kind of drunk. That’s when he and my Mom weren’t battling it out over some inane fucking thing like how much salt was in the pasta water. I used to get the shit beat out of me by my Mother with a 3 foot long 1×3 when I got to be 12 or 13, until I was 16 and took it away from her, broke it half and told her that was the last time she was fucking gonna hit me. I set my Aunt’s house on fire playing with matches when I was 9. Yeah man, I got my psychological scars, just like a lot of people. And you know about my 15 years of drugging up a storm. And in spite of all that brain pain, today I know who’s to blame for the problem I caused myself. Yes, I hate to admit it, but it was you Turtle. No wait that’s wrong, it was my fault of course. My first AA sponsor used to tell me “Look at all the things that have gone wrong in your life. What’s the common denominator in all of them? You were man, you were” He had a way of making things simple so I could understand them back then, because my thinking wasn’t close to 100%. Ah, the good old days……
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