Researcher visits Miami Beach addresses tied to fake businesses using stolen identities, he says

A Georgia State University professor who studies online fraud is visiting Miami Beach addresses where he says criminals have set up fake businesses using stolen identities.

David Maimon leads a cybersecurity research group at the university and also works for an identity verification firm. CBS News Miami went with him as he knocked on doors at locations around Miami Beach that he says criminals used with the stolen identities of people who no longer live in the United States.

"What I do for a living is trying to understand the online fraud ecosystem and how they work to prevent what they are doing," Maimon said.

Maimon said dark net marketplaces frequently sell stolen identities for around $100. He said thieves use the records to register fraudulent businesses, open bank accounts, and obtain lines of credit, thereby defrauding financial institutions.

He said he targeted specific addresses linked to large numbers of stolen identities used during customer onboarding at financial institutions. He has done similar research in Southern California with CBS News Miami's sister station in Los Angeles.

To protect against identity theft, Maimon recommends checking your credit report often and signing up for identity theft protection services.