Microsoft’s co-founder Paul Allen was recently the victim of identity theft as an AWOL Army soldier schemed Allen by making $15,936.99 in various transactions. To give you an example of how bad identity theft is, in 2011, there were 280,000 reported cases.
According to the complaint, the federal government is alleging that Brandon Lee Price had called Citibank and changed the address on Paul Allen’s bank account from Seattle to Pittsburgh and then had a debit card sent to his Pittsburgh home. After three days, Price called Citibank and complained that he lost his debit card and asked for a new one to be sent to him. Price then used the card to make a $15,000 Western Union transaction as well as a $658.81 payment on an Armed Forces Bank loan. Price was even caught on camera making purchases at a video game store as well as a dollar store. The bank detected the fraud and alerted law enforcement. The transactions totaled $15,936.99 and only the loan payment actually went through.
Price was listed as Absent Without Official Leave from the Army and was wanted by the Army as a deserter. He was eventually arrested on the 2nd of March and will be detained until the 2nd unless the Army takes him into custody.
Paul Allen, as we all know, is the co-founder of Microsoft. Allen founded Microsoft alongside Bill Gates in 1975 and left the company is 1983. Allen currently owns the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, as well as the chairman of Vulcan Inc. Allen’s net worth is estimated to be $14.2 billion dollars. None of Allen’s other accounts were targeted.
