Filipino man charged with hacking celeb bank accounts

A Filipino man has been charged in New Jersey with conducting a “large and sophisticated” identity theft scheme targeting high-profile victims, including a celebrity and a government official. 

According to documents made public Friday, the defendant conspired with others to compromise the financial accounts of certain well-known or celebrity persons.

{mosads}The five victims in the indictment are identified as “a well known socialite and entertainer,” the CEO of a multinational corporation, a high-ranking government official, plus two residents of New Jersey.

Peter Locsin, 35, would first gain access to victims’ personal information — like Social Security numbers and address history — and then fraudulently access their accounts with banks and credit card companies, according to the indictment.

Locsin and his conspirators would then use those accounts to make wire transfers, order merchandise online, order replacement cards and add additional cardholders to the accounts, the indictment reads.

The scheme ran from February 2012 through January 2015, prosecutors say. 

Locsin has been charged with one count of bank fraud conspiracy that carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and two counts of aggravated identity theft, which each carry a maximum potential penalty of two years in prison.