ID thief with phone-tap equipment gets 5 years

SEATTLE – A Lynnwood man who was equipped to tap into home phone lines from outside the house was sentenced to nearly 51/2 years in federal prison for convictions of Social Security fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Scott William McComb, 41, traveled across the country using cars and equipment he had purchased using other people’s identities and credit, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

McComb came to the attention of authorities when two victims reported unauthorized use of their credit cards and forged checks on their bank accounts. In one case, the victim thought a thief had broken into his home because the stolen credit card could be activated only by placing a call from the home phone number.

Later, police recovered a special piece of equipment in McComb’s possession that had that allowed him to tap into a residential phone line from outside the home.

In a Seattle hotel room, police discovered computer equipment with numerous templates for fake identification documents. In late March 2006, McComb was arrested after he tried to use a victim’s credit account to purchase high-tech equipment in Bellevue. He had been in a stolen rental car filled with computer equipment used for making fake identifications. Also in the car was the tool used for taping into a residential phone line.

McComb was released from custody with charges pending against and then was arrested again in Iron Mountain, Mich. This time he was driving a luxury SUV that had been purchased from a Seattle car dealership using a victim’s identity and credit, court papers said.

Authorities recovered driver’s licenses, Social Security cards and other documents in other people’s names. Documents say McComb opened about 25 credit card accounts in the names of 18 different victims and stole about $142,000.

McComb pleaded guilty in December.