[ by Melanie Gretchen ] Petr Murmylyuk, 31, a Russian citizen living in Brooklyn, knew his target audience all too well.  With a weak economy, and unemployment on the rise, Murmylyuk created a fictitious job placement web site, sent out thousands of legitimate-looking e-mails with links to his site, then waited for job seekers to flock to his site - like "bees to honey." With offers of government assistance and government-sponsored job listings, applicants without hesitation provided personal confidential information that he ultimately used to rob them and the U.S. government.

[C-I Note: To better understand how scammers, like Murmylyuk gathered stolen identifies for the scheme described in this posting, click on the link and read our 4/26/12 posting in Behind The News, "Unemployed Get Taken by Job Web Site."]

Prosecutors' Findings and Allegations. Petr Murmylyuk, 31, used his site, www.jobcentral2.net (no longer available to visit) to attract a very select target - unemployed individuals - whom he knew were unlikely to have income and unlikely to file tax returns.  This, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. said, reduced the chances that Murmylyuk's fraudulent actions would draw attention. Using Stolen Identifies From His Phishing Expedition. Having attracted individuals to his web site, that claimed its job placement services listings were "sponsored by the government and intended for people with low income," Murmylyuk was able to capture confidential personal information - i.e., identities - from numerous individuals.  Murmylyuk used the data to file fictitious tax returns for some 108 job seekers - all out of work, with few if any sources of income.  In each case, the returns indicated that income tax refunds ranging from $3,500 to $6,500 were due for each individual.  Murmylyuk successfully captured refunds of $450,000, according to federal prosecutors - money stolen from the federal government. Cashing the Checks. Using bank accounts of 11 students from Kazakhstan, Murmylyuk cashed the tax refund checks, according to court documents.  After opening the accounts, some of the students fled to Kazakhstan;  they, subsequently, were indicted in absentia.  Murmylyuk, also known as Dmitry Tokar, remained in the U.S., and was arrested.  He has been charged with money laundering, identity theft, and other charges. Additional Findings and Allegations of Fraud. Earlier this week, federal prosecutors in New Jersey charged Murmylyuk for another crime:  working with a ring that stole $1 million by hacking into retail brokerage accounts at Scottrade, E*Trade, Fidelity, Schwab, and other on-line brokerage firms and executing sham trades.  He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, unauthorized access to computers, and securities fraud. Potential Sanctions for his Crimes. If convicted for the crimes he's been charged with, Murmylyuk faces up to 15 years in prison, based on the top charge of grand larceny.  If convicted on the various charges associated with tapping into victims' brokerage accounts, then he faces an additional maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. For further details, go to [NYTimes, 4/17/12].