Sep 11, 2008 5:07 pm US/Pacific
Countrywide Employee Allegedly Sells Customer Info
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
Local homeowner's identities may have been sold for tens of thousands of dollars by a Countrywide mortgage employee who is in trouble for a crime that the FBI is calling an inside job.
In early August, the FBI arrested 36-year-old Rene Rebello, a former Countrywide employee in Pasadena and another man who is said to be involved in an alleged scheme to steal and sell sensitive personal information, including security numbers, of as many as two million mortgage applicants.
This alleged scheme took place during a two year period through July, which authorities are calling the largest in years.
Authorities also arrested Wahid Siddiqi, 25, at his home in Thousand Oaks. Authorities alleged that he was a reseller of Countrywide data, and is now facing fraud charges.
"Both of those individuals have been indicted and pending trial," explains Steve Dupri, of the FBI.
Authorities say that for two years, the Coutrywide employee went in to the office on Sunday nights and copied personal information onto his flash drive. He then allegedly sold it to the second suspect for an estimated $70,000.
In an email a Countrywide spokesman writes:
"We have no evidence to date to indicate that any customer has been the victim of identity theft or fraud."
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, most if not all of the information was sold to people in the mortgage industry as leads; to make new pitches.
Clearly, there could be more people in trouble in this situation, when they figure out where the information ended up. But, Countrywide says they will pay for two years of a credit monitor service for the customers who's information was compromised
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