MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — A man in Maricopa County was arrested and is being charged with forgery and fraudulent schemes after stealing people's identities and applying for loans in their names, county court paperwork shows.
The man, identified as 21-year-old Kolby Benston, stole the identities of four victims and applied for loans from the Small Business Association (SBA) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with fake businesses using their information.
Benston sent multiple messages on Facebook messenger about how he takes the identities of anyone "dumb enough" to give them to him, according to court documents. Benston's Snapchat account also had the identities of around 100 people from multiple states.
Identity information reportedly included driver's licenses, social security cards, addresses and bank information.
Authorities arrested Benston on Tuesday, where he allegedly admitted to authorities that he made just under $500,000 in fraudulent loans.
Latest Arizona News
Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12 News YouTube playlist here.
Arizona's Silent Witness program allows people to send in tips and share information about crimes happening within their local communities.
The program shares unsolved felony case information in multiple ways, including TV, radio and social media.
Anyone who has information on a crime or recognizes a suspect described by the program is asked to call 480-948-6377, go to the program's website online or download the Silent Witness app to provide a tip. The identity of anyone who submits a tip is kept anonymous.
Calls to Silent Witness are answered 24/7 by a live person and submitted tips are accepted at all times. Submitted tips are then sent to the detective(s) in charge of the specific case.
Individuals who submit tips that lead to an arrest or indictment in the case can get a reward of up to $1,000.