On the hunt for ID thieves

So far, the trail has lead to middlemen like Jeff Ball in Penn Yan, New York, who themselves may be pawns.

Jeff Ball: I’ve been scammed.

Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: You’ve been scammed.

He’s been scammed with romantic e-mails and eye-catching photos—a woman he met on the Internet has convinced him to go into business with her and accept packages apparently ordered with stolen credit cards ..

Then forward them on to Europe and Africa.

Wendy Kenson has even convinced him to pay for the shipping.

Not only has Jeff Ball helped the thieves in their ripoff, apparently he’s been ripped off himself.

Jeff Ball: I got caught up by listening to her.

Hansen: Listening to her. Did you ever suspect you were part of an identity theft ring or a credit card fraud ring?

Jeff Ball: No, I did not. 

And remember, until now, Jeff thinks he’s been talking with Chris of CH delivery. He still doesn’t know I’m with Dateline - and that we’re recording all this on hidden camera.

Hansen: Remember last time when you visited, we had that conversation—about chatting on the Internet and having to be careful because that program, “Dateline” is out there doing stories on computer predators?

Jeff Ball: Oh, that. Oh yeah.

Hansen: Well you know, I’m that guy.  I’m Chris Hansen with “Dateline NBC.”  And  we’re doing a story on another kind of predator, a predator that steals people’s identities, their credit card numbers, and uses them to purchase things and often resell them.

Jeff Ball: Hmm.

Hansen: And it appears, based upon our investigation, Jeff—

Jeff Ball: Yeah.

Hansen: —that you’ve gotten caught up in an international conspiracy.

Jeff Ball: I got caught up into a scam. I’ve been caught up in something—Oh man.  I mean I might a lost all that money. (sighs)

But what about Jeff’s new love and business partner, that swimsuit model, Wendy?

Hansen: Do you really know who Wendy is?

Jeff Ball: Hmm.

Hansen: Have you ever met her face to face?  And you gotta tell me the truth.

Jeff Ball: No.

Hansen:  You never met her face to face?

Jeff Ball now realizes it may all be a cruel hoax costing him thousands of dollars and threatening his marriage.

Now, he has a decision to make:

Hansen: We are gonna continue this investigation and try to show who is ultimately responsible for this.  You’re in a position to help me do it.

Jeff Ball: Okay.

Hansen: Will you help me?

Jeff Ball: Yeah, I will help you.

Jeff Ball not only agrees to help, he lets Dateline take over the e-mail account he uses to talk to Wendy the thief. From now on, when the Internet thieves think they’re talking to Jeff Ball, they’re really talking to us.

As you’ll find out next week, the trail is going to lead us far from Penn Yan, New York, across the Atlantic—as we go on the hunt for Wendy and her gang of international identity thieves. Dateline, April 3, 8 p.m. on NBC.

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