Man charged with role in elaborate credit card fraud scheme

The 42-year-old Staten Island man faces charges of money laundering, theft by unlawful taking and fraudulent use of credit cards. He's being held on $1 million cash bail, and it wasn't known if he's retained an attorney.

Zaman is among 13 people facing charges in the alleged scheme.

Authorities say the defendants, many of whom live in Secaucus and Jersey City, created "synthetic" identities by pairing real Social Security numbers with fictitious names and birth dates. They then used the identities to open numerous checking and credit card accounts online so they could avoid personal interaction with bank staffers.

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