Canadian Cops Bust Identity Theft 'Hub'

Nine people have been arrested following the bust of a major identity-theft ring, Canadian police said Friday.

According to a news report, Canadian police, along with Canada Post inspectors, raided a property and found 2,400 pieces of mail from 24 cities across British Columbia and Alberta dating back to 1998.

The house was also packed with equipment and paraphernalia related to credit-card and identity theft: card readers and debit terminals, blank and stolen credit cards, driver's licenses, government-issued checks, and materials for creating fake currency, among many other items.

Police said they also seized more than 100 CDs containing thousands of people's personal data profiles -- from social insurance numbers to employment information and names of victim's children.

One CD was found to contain approximately 3,000 profiles, while a second was suspected to contain 20,000 personal profiles. The mail was likely stolen from businesses and homes after delivery, as well as from vehicles and discarded personal documents that had not been shredded, police said.

Investigators describe the residence as a "mid-level hub" in a wider identity-theft ring, which gathers personal data through mail theft and property crime.

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