Identity Theft Fail: Man Arrested For Half-Hearted Disception

Identity theft is no laughing matter, though attempts to impersonate another human being can sometimes lead to amusing scenarios. Such is the case of Joshua K. Pinney, the man who sauntered into a Bank of America in Des Moines, Washington last June dressed as another gentleman. Unfortunately for the suspect, his impossibly poor attempt at deception ultimately led to his arrest.

Of course, Pinney may be attempting to have the last laugh by failing to appear in court on Thursday to face the consequences for his failed scheme. According to the folks at KOMO News, the suspect was charged with second-degree identity theft for his actions. However, due to his decision to skip his court appearance, it’s likely the suspect will spend quite a bit of time behind bars once police manage to track him down.

The suspect, dressed in bandages and complaining of pain resulting from a recent accident, explained that he needed a new debit card. According to The Huffington Post, it didn’t take long for authorities to figure out that Joshua K. Pinney wasn’t the guy pictured on the Oregon ID presented to bank employees. After all, the man listed on the ID was a bank client, one who had recently reported his car stolen.

Once police arrived on the scene to address the problem, Pinney revealed that he had acquired the stolen ID and Social Security Card from his brother’s friend, who had taken the items from a car he’d stolen in Tacoma, Washington. The situation would have been addressed at-length had the suspect appeared for his court date on Thursday.

IdentitfyTheft.info reports that 15 million people in the United States fall victim to identity theft each year. What’s more, nearly 100 million people are at risk for having their identities stolen from government and corporate databases. In fact, identity theft is quickly becoming one of the most frequent crimes in the nation.