Credit Card 'Strikers'Jailed

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - (08/15/05) -- A woman hired to use stolen creditcards to make cash advances up and down the East Coast admittedFriday to her role in a multi-million dollar, foreign-born identitytheft ring that victimized as many as 56 credit unions and severalbanks. Oluwakemi Feyime, 32, was one of four Nigerian nationalsconvicted in one of the biggest stolen credit card rings ever thatused 2,000 stolen cards to steal as much as $4 million inmerchandise and cash. Feyime, according to the FBI, was one of fourso-called strikers, who would activate stolen credit cards, thenuse them to buy merchandise or charge cash advances at creditunions and banks up and down the East Coast. The cards were stolenfrom airmail by a baggage handler at Dulles International Airportin Washington, then driven to Brooklyn, where an accomplice woulduse stolen Social Security numbers to activate them. Both thebaggage handler and his Brooklyn accomplice, and the two strikersare all Nigerian nationals and expected to be deported to theirnative country once they serve prison sentences. A fourthindividual, another striker, was also found guilty in the scheme;while another suspect is still at large. Among the credit unionslisted in federal documents in connection with the case areMarriott Employees FCU, Northern Piedmont FCU and New HorizonFCU.