Identity thief's amazing disguise fails to fool bank, toddlers


Joshua K. Pinney is charged with attempting to defraud a Bank of America branch in Des Moines into issuing him a bank card in the name of a man whose wallet had been stolen. To help with his ruse, Pinney allegedly conceived of this clever disguise, including whitening his beard, hair and eyebrows, and swathing his head and body in elaborate "bandages" to make it seem that he'd been injured in a recent accident as a way of explaining other physical differences between him and the victim

Here's more from Rose Egge in the Des Moines KOMO:

Prosecutors say Pinney presented the identification of an Oregon man to the bank manager and asked for a new debit card. The actual man on the ID was a client at the bank whose car had recently been stolen and his identification was missing. The victim had flagged his account to prevent anyone from using it.

Pinney told the branch manager that he was on a business trip in Washington and needed a new debit card, according to the police report. He also asked the branch manager if he could sit down and requested a glass of water, claiming he was in pain from a recent accident.

When confronted by police, Pinney stuck with his story and said he was at the bank to replace his debit card, documents said.

The police officer looked at the Oregon ID that Pinney had given the bank manager and asked the man if he was seriously trying to pass as the man in the picture. Court documents report Pinney hung his head and said "I know."

Is it too late to make this my Hallowe'en costume?

Man's identity theft attempt falls flat at Des Moines bank

(via Accordion Guy)