Lee, Miami Beach, FL
Lee’s nightmare with identity theft had a severe impact on his finances, career and health. His encounter began in late August 2005 when his wallet containing personal information was stolen. The next day, the thief opened three fraudulent credit accounts in his name, and used them to purchase items and services from various brand name retailers. Lee acted quickly, canceling the credit cards and placing a 90-day fraud alert on his record that he believed would end the thief’s shopping spree.
But in December of that year, Lee learned that a car and auto insurance was purchased in his name. Later that same month, the identity thief transferred close to $5,000 from Lee’s newly created American Express account. Also, the thief had accessed Lee’s Bank of America checking account, resetting his online banking passwords and withdrawing $15,000 from his account.
To date, the crook has charged thousands of dollars on fraudulent accounts, despite the fact that Lee placed an extended fraud alert on his credit files. As a result, Lee’s credit score has suffered, just as he hopes to buy a new home and car. To top it all off, Lee is currently under criminal investigation by the IRS because there are two tax records filed under his social security number. Evidently, the crook filed a return using his private information.
Lee is still working on recovering the stolen money and dealing with new charges of fraudulent activity. “My story is still unfolding, as nearly everyday, there is a new phone call or another letter in the mailbox detailing the latest incident of fraud,” writes Lee.
Brian, Castle Rock, CO
When Brian applied for a mortgage in summer 2003, he had little idea that one of the employees at the firm handling his paperwork would steal his personal information and use it to steal his identity – literally. The thief obtained Brian’s employment history, credit reports and even personal family information off of his mortgage application and assumed Brian’s identity. The crook then moved to Orange County, California, where he obtained employment at another mortgage firm using Brian’s name and employment history. Soon thereafter, the thief purchased a home, a car, and paid for utilities using the stolen information.
Brian learned about the theft while applying for a car loan and discovering that his credit score had plummeted 200 points. Determined to uncover why he had such an abysmal rating and a whopping 82 credit inquires in a single year, Brian discovered that he had become a victim of identity theft, and the perpetrator was in Southern California living a life using his stolen information. Brian alerted the authorities and started his own investigation into the theft which led him to the Orange County mortgage firm where the crook worked. He called the firm, and was patched through to the thief, who answered using Brian’s full name.
“I almost had a heart attack,” recounts Brian, who was astounded to be speaking with the crook. Brian quickly hung up, but suspected that the thief recognized the voice on the other end of the line. Fortunately, the crook was tracked down and captured by police soon thereafter and is now serving a sentence for fraud and other charges.
Brian continues to clean up the mess left behind by the identity thief. Recently, he received a notice from the IRS regarding returns filed by the thief, and still battles to improve his damaged credit score. “It astounds me that he was living under my name,” says Brian, who is still weary about what other things the crook could have done using his stolen personal information. “I have no idea what I’m going to find in the mail the next day.”
Jaimee, Omaha, NE
After a former manager swiped Jaimee’s personal information and used it to open several credit card accounts, the Omaha resident not only tracked down the crook that stole her identity but also started a successful campaign to enact new privacy laws in Nebraska.
Jaimee’s ordeal with identity theft began in 2005 after a call from Discover credit card services tipped her off to a fraudulent application filed in her name. More calls and research by Jaimee unearthed more fraudulent applications filed with other credit card companies. She took action and stopped the applications from being processed, alerted the authorities and kept a close eye on her credit files.
The break in her case came after she obtained a copy of one of the credit card applications, and identified the address on it as the residence of a former co-worker. Jaimee notified the detective assigned to her case, and the crook, whom Jaimee later found out was a known meth-addict with a history of fraud and other associated charges, was arrested.
After the arrest, Jaimee decided to push Nebraska lawmakers for stronger identity theft protections so other consumers wouldn’t have to deal with the anguish and frustration she while felt cleaning up the mess associated with the crime. She started her own website (www.idtheftne.org) which focuses on educating consumers about identity theft and works with consumer advocates and groups to enact new stringent identity theft laws in Nebraska.
Recently, she helped pass a bill in the state legislature which would require companies to notify consumers if their private information has been compromised. Next, Jaimee is encouraging other concerned citizens to make Nebraska one of a handful of states that allow consumers to place security freezes on their credit files. “Maybe the lawmakers will pay more attention with 2,000 people saying ‘I want identity theft legislation,” Jaimee says.
Susana
Susana’s hard-earned money in her checking account was supposed to be spent on a family getaway to Disneyworld, a much needed vacation for the divorced mother of two living paycheck-to-paycheck. But an identity thief ruined her plans when they stole Susana’s debit card number and used her earnings to purchase computer software from companies in Canada and South Africa.
Upon discovering that she had become a victim of identity theft, Susana notified her bank and filed a police report with local authorities, hopeful that something could be done to recover the stolen money. Susana’s bank waived some of overdraft fees that the crooks had accumulated on her record – but not all – leaving her with the rest of the bill. The detective at the local police department simply took the Orlando resident’s report and filed it away with other area identity theft cases.
But Susana took action. She began contacting the out-of-country companies that had been patronized by the crook. The Canadian companies Susana called offered to refund most of her stolen money. The South African companies weren’t as sympathetic. In all, Susana says that she lost around $3,000 from the theft, stemming from late fees and money that wasn’t recovered from the fraudulent purchases. As a result, it sent her further into debt and wreaked havoc with her finances.
She suspects that whoever stole her identity obtained her information online, either by hacking into her computer, or through a “phishing” scam, where crooks send official looking emails from established companies asking for private financial information. Susana’s ordeal has made her more careful about giving up personal information. She has since changed banking institutions and now makes sure that her online transactions are only sent through secure websites.
Ida, Phoenix, AZ
On some days, the anxiety and frustration caused she experienced after her identity was stolen left Ida in tears. She made endless phone calls to law enforcement agencies, banks and credit institutions, only to learn that a majority of them – including her local police department – couldn’t do a thing to help bring the crook to justice and stop the dozens of fraudulent credit card applications filed in Ida’s name from being approved.
The 61-year old Phoenix resident suspects that the identity thief called her posing as a representative from her bank. Using the information off of a banking statement stolen from her mailbox, the thief then began to “verify” private information on the account with Ida, who believed that the conversation was a legitimate phone call.
The thief then used the information Ida gave to apply for multiple credit cards and attempted to withdraw money from Ida’s bank account. Ida discovered the fraudulent activity and immediately placed a fraud alert on her credit files, and filed a police report with local authorities.
Ida was soon mortified to learn that the crook was able to access her fraud alert account online and switch the phone number to direct all inquiries to the thief’s personal residence. As a result, the fraud alerts didn’t stop new credit cards, made out in Ida’s name and with her personal information, from being delivered to a residential address less than a mile from her Phoenix home. The thief reportedly told the credit card companies that Ida had moved to the new location, and all new cards should be sent there.
When Ida tried to report what she discovered to local police, she found out that authorities had filed her case away and told her to speak with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for additional advice. The FTC told her it did not deal with individual cases.
“Nobody would help me, nobody,” recounts Ida. “I had [the crook’s] address and the police couldn’t go over there and do anything.”
Agitated from the inability for law enforcement to act, Ida marched down to the address that was listed on an eCommerce account application she obtained and was appalled to find mail with her name poking out of the mailbox at the home. The tenants that she confronted played dumb, claiming that whoever Ida was looking for no longer lived there.
Hopeful that she could find someone that could stop the relentless barrage of fraudulent cards and bring the neighborhood identity thief to justice, Ida went to the US Postal Inspection Service to report what she had learned. Instantly, the Postal Police stopped all pieces of mail with Ida’s name on it from being delivered to the address and along with local police, executed a search of the house where, according to Ida, they discovered bags of stolen mail and more victims of identity theft.
Ida says that federal authorities charged a woman living in the home with felony identity and credit theft. The alleged identity thief is awaiting a competency examination to determine if she is able to stand trial for her crimes.
For Ida, she wants the criminal to pay for the four months of misery she went through.
“This girl put me through hell for months,” says Ida. “It was so upsetting, it was like being raped every damn day, and you just couldn’t stop them.”
Ann, FL
Ann dreads receiving another piece of mail from a collection agency demanding payment for overdue credit card bills run up by a crook who stole her identity. It has happened before, and Ann suspects that it could happen again.
Everything began in 2004, when a fill-up at a local gas station turned into a thief’s opportunity to steal Ann’s debit card number. She suspects that she fell victim to a crime ring she read about in the local newspaper. The scam involved gas station attendants who jammed card readers at the pumps, forcing patrons to hand over their debit cards to the attendant, who allegedly records the numbers and sells them to outside parties.
The Florida resident said this happened to her, and shortly after, someone withdrew money from her checking account to make a purchase at an auto dealership across the country, in Washington State. Thankfully, Ann acted quickly. She caught the unauthorized transaction and immediately authorized the bank to investigate the incident. All of her money was replaced by the bank, which cancelled the debit card. Ann had to call and redirect automatic payment of several bills to a new account.
During different discussions with bank officials, Ann was told that it was cheaper for the bank to replace her money than to try finding the guilty person and prosecute. The investigation showed that she had used her card in Florida at a grocery store the same time the crook used it in Washington.
Ann thought that this would be her last encounter with the imposters.
But six months later, she received a demanding letter from a Texas collection agency asking Ann to pay up for an overdue cell phone bill from AT&T. Someone had used Ann’s private information to open an account with the company in California. Ann contested the charges, and after several unpleasant phone calls with the collection agent and the AT&T billing service, she managed to convince them that someone had fraudulently opened the accounts in her name. AT&T offered to settle with Ann for a third of the original amount, but after she objected, the phone company rightfully dropped all charges. However, they did not remove the bill from her credit report.
Ann faced the same problem earlier this year, when yet another collection agency sent her a bill, this time from a cable company in Washington State. The crooks had installed cable TV in their Pacific Northwest home, and once again, used Ann’s Social Security number to open a fraudulent account. Numerous phone calls and another round of paperwork over seven weeks finally resolved the matter, and left Ann weary that the latest incident would be the end of her troubles.
“I don’t know how else to put this, but that it feels like being violated,” said Ann who realizes how vulnerable she and everyone else is to identity theft. “Even more frightening is they still have most of my private information, including my full name and social security number, and they are still out there.”
Ginny, Odenton, MD
Ginny is sure that her bank’s surveillance cameras caught her having a nervous breakdown after she learned that all of the money in her checking account mysteriously disappeared. She is a full-time college student and working mom, who lives paycheck-to-paycheck, and every dollar she earns goes towards paying the bills and supporting her 14-year old son.
So when the bank teller at her local bank told Ginny than her money had been used to pay a pricey bill for a Cingular Wireless account, Ginny began to worry. She didn’t have a cell phone, and the Washington D.C. address on the cell phone bill wasn’t hers. She immediately suspected that she had become a victim of identity theft.
Not long after discovering the fraudulent Cingular Wireless account, Ginny learned that the thieves had opened accounts with Verizon Telephone Services, DirectTV, Sprint PCS, and Dell Computers. She also learned that the thieves tried to open credit cards using her name and personal information.
Once more, the imposters accessed Ginny’s newly created checking account and authorized the payment of an overdue fraudulent bill. With limited funds in the account, the thieves caused her rent check to bounce, resulting in expensive overdraft fees that Ginny wasn’t able to pay.
Furious about the chaos that the thieves had caused, Ginny placed a fraud alert on her credit files, filed a report with the Federal Trade Commission and sought help from her local Sheriffs Department, who told the Maryland resident to file a police report with authorities in Washington D.C. where the thieves lived.
With the address of the crooks in her hand, Ginny took a day off from work and spent her day driving to Metropolitan Police Headquarters in the District of Columbia where she filed a police report with the department’s check and fraud department.
Ginny expected the detectives would follow up on the case because of the information that she provided them; however, 60 days after filing the report, “The police did not do anything. [The detective] informed me that he believed my case had been closed.”
