You accidentally dial the wrong number, calling an old boyfriend by mistake. You compose an e-mail complaining about your boss, and somehow send it to your boss instead of a sympathetic coworker.
No, it’s never pretty when these things happen, and, when we make mistakes like this we usually feel like idiots. Fortunately, there’s always someone just a little bit dumber to make us all feel just a little bit better about our own mistakes. Meet Peter Pardo.
Peter Pardo needed to find a guy who could help him out. So he text messaged a friend, asking if he knew anyone who could “make cards,” that is, make 150 fraudulent credit cards from the information Pardo got from all the mail he’d stolen in the Seattle area.
Poor Peter Pardo made the same mistake the rest of us have made, except he sent his text message to a detective in the Kent Police Department who had dealt with Pardo in the past.
The detective—who no doubt felt like it was an early Christmas—played along and texted back: “I know a guy I trust. Text him and tell him what u got.”
Pardo set up the meeting with the trusted friend, made the deal and was promptly busted. Police found “a massive amount” of stolen mail, a bunch of stolen credit cards and more “washed” checks.
So far, Pardo has been charged with one count of financial fraud and three counts of second-degree identity theft. Prosecutors are still trying to contact all the people whose mail, credit cards and checks were stolen, and expect to press additional charges.
LifeLock can’t do much to keep you from making dumb mistakes with your e-mail, but they can help protect you from identity theft resulting from stolen mail, credit cards and checks. Visit LifeLock.com to learn more. Use the LifeLock promotion code Defense to get the best price and 30 free days of identity theft protection.
At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.
Tags: identity theft arrests, LifeLock identity theft protection, Peter Pardo, stolen mail, washed checks
Too funny! I love stupid criminal stories! this one is especially good cause the detectve already busted him before! I wnt thru 3 years of hell after my identity was stolen in 2002. weird thing still show up on my credit report!
Unlike most kinds of criminals, it is actually somewhat rare to find a truly stupid identity thief. Most identity thieves are among the more intelligent ranks of criminals. They use cunning and manipulative tactics to make off with your hard-earned money. Most are almost impossible to track down and prosecute too, which is why identity theft is such a hugely widespread problem. It’s encouraging to see at least one of them busting himself. One down, thousands more to go.