The man charged with Identity Theft last September here in Cherokee County, was back in court last week.

Alpha Oumar Diallo, age 25 had been charged with the Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card back on September 22nd (2013).

At that time, he was listed as being a resident of College Park, Georgia.

In early October, additional information was released – and Diallo wound up being charged with 30 counts of Identity Theft; according to Investigator Randy Mayorga with the Centre Police Department, Diallo had been using gift cards where the information had been wiped clean, then re-loaded with a stolen identity:

An investigation had been prompted by a report from an alert store clerk – when Diallo had attempted to use one of the cards to make a purchase the clerk noticed that the information on the card did NOT match the information on the printed receipt – and she then contacted authorities.

The additional charges were added while Diallo was still in jail – he later met bond and was released.

Last Friday (September 26th, 2014) Diallo was back in court in Cherokee County following the striking of a plea agreement in which he pled guilty to three charges of Identity Theft.

The plea had been accepted by the District Attorney’s Office, and Judge Randall Cole as well before he sentenced Diallo to three years on each count to run concurrently. He applied for probation, which was granted, and his probation will reportedly be switched to New York – where his family resides. He will be on probation for a period of three years.

Diallo must also pay a fine of $750 and court costs in the amount of around $1,100.

There was no mention of any federal charges during his Friday court appearance.

Tips for Preventing Identity Loss

Identity thieves steal your personal information to commit fraud. They can damage your credit status and cost you time and money restoring your good name. To reduce your risk of becoming a victim, follow the tips below:

• Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write it on your checks. Only give out your SSN when absolutely necessary.
• Protect your PIN. Never write a PIN on a credit/debit card or on a slip of paper kept in your wallet.
• Watch out for “shoulder surfers”. Use your free hand to shield the keypad when using pay phones and ATMs.
• Collect mail promptly. Ask the post office to put your mail on hold when you are away from home for more than a day or two.
• Pay attention to your billing cycles. If bills or financial statements are late, contact the sender.
• Keep your receipts. Ask for carbons and incorrect charge slips as well. Promptly compare receipts with account statements. Watch for unauthorized transactions.
• Tear up or shred unwanted receipts, credit offers, account statements, expired cards, etc., to prevent dumpster divers getting your personal information.
• Store personal information in a safe place at home and at work. Don’t leave it lying around.
• Don’t respond to unsolicited requests for personal information in the mail, over the phone or online.
• Install firewalls and virus-detection software on your home computer.
• Check your credit report once a year. Check it more frequently if you suspect someone has gotten access to your account information.