Woman faces six years behind bars over Cash App account she 'never opened'
A woman could spend up to six years in prison over a Cash App account she insists she never created, after her personal information was allegedly used to facilitate a Facebook Marketplace scam.
Amanda Smith claims that her identity was stolen and used to fraudulently open an account with the platform, which ended up becoming linked to a criminal investigation, according to a report by 404 Media.
The report goes on to detail how, according to Smith, someone used her date of birth and social security number to set up the account, with $1,000 in fake Facebook Marketplace sales being sent to the account by unsuspecting buyers.
Investigators obtained information about the account from Block, the company behind Cash App, with records including personal details that connected Smith to the account.
Advert
She was subsequently arrested in Pennsylvania over the alleged offence in Arkansas, a state which she says she had never visited.
Smith believes that her information could have been stolen in a data breach and, despite the account being linked to her details, Smith has claimed that Cash App could not give her access to information on the account as they could not verify her as the account holder.
She explained: “Cash App refused to provide me with any information about the account, because I couldn't prove that I was the owner.”
How to protect yourself from identity theft
The story is a reminder of just how important maintaining strong cybersecurity is, as exposed personal information can have financial, as well as legal consequences.
A report by Malwarebytes advises on how to protect yourself online by urging people to be alert for phishing messages over emails and scam phone calls.
Make sure to keep your passwords unique for every platform, and make sure you’re not using one password across all of your accounts.
It is also important to enable the option of two-factor authentication wherever you can.
If you spot any unusual activity in your banking apps, then flag it immediately with your provider.
In the US, people concerned that their social security number has been misused can review their credit reports for unfamiliar accounts and place a free credit freeze with each of the three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
If you discover an account you did not open then contact the firm’s fraud department through its official website and report the suspected identity theft. US residents can also report incidents through IdentityTheft.gov.