A clever thief decided to take over my identity. It came to my attention when I received phone calls to confirm charges for merchandise I didn't order on a credit card I didn't have. It continued with finding credit cards in my mail I didn't apply for. The cards had my name, along with a secondary card user I had never heard of. Next, I received books of checks from banks I knew nothing about. In a period of less than a week, ten or more credit card companies and/or banks had issued credit to "me" without applying for them. Another was Webdollar, who issued a line of credit for what I assume to be an Internet gambling casino. The letter stated that a $6000 line of credit in my name and identity was requested by a casino. It gave me a "security code" and pin number to use, along with a welcoming greeting.
How did they find my personal information? Software is available on the Internet that sells for $15.00 to $20.00 and up. It promises to provide you with social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, driver's license numbers - or any other information you might want.
In the following month, I spent many unhappy hours telephoning companies who were so generous to give "me" thousands of dollars credit I did not want. This involved punching 1, then 2, then 3 for half an hour before I finally was connected to the firm's fraud division. Eventually after being placed on hold for awhile, I talked to a real person, . Some firms told me that the applicant gave a different birth date than mine. Who was the real "me"?
On the other hand, Citibank in Sioux Falls, SD, told me that the applicant for their credit card had all my personal information, including my mother's maiden name. Their fraud investigator seemed unsurprised or concerned when I informed them they had been scammed by someone posing as "me". They had plenty of money, and interest was rolling in by the millions, so who cares if they lost a few dollars? They agreed to cancel the card, and in a few days I received notice that the account was closed. But that was not to be the end of it.
A day after I was notified by mail that the Sious Falls, SD Citibank card was canceled, I received a bill for $2062.65 from Citybank in The Lakes, NV - a member of the Citibank family of banks. The left hand didn't know what the right hand did.
For nearly a month I learned of a new account opened in my name. Becoming paranoid, I called the County Sheriff's office, who are responsible for protecting the citizens in my area. They refused to investigate. This was not a crime against me, they said, but against banks and credit card companies. Even after I told them I had evidence, they refused to take a report. Then I called the City police several times before I was able to get past secretaries. The City Police Captain also refused to investigate because I lived two blocks out of the city. He said they had no evidence that the crimes had been conducted in the city. I lost my patience and began to swear, but the officer refused to take evidence I had gathered. It took four telephone demands to the County Sheriff's office before someone agreed to take a report over the phone - but they still refused to investigate.
Finally everyone involved were notified of the fraud. I notified three national Credit Reporting Bureaus. This statement appeared on my credit report: Fraud victim; do not extend credit without first contacting me personally and verifying all applicant information. Contact me for verification at (phone number). No one called, but later I received a letter stating that another bank refused to issue a credit card to the fraudulent applicants because they were unable to answer certain questions. Now this was progress - or was it? Then I learned that TransUnion, one of 3 national credit bureaus, had been selling their credit risk data base, which is illegal. Anyone for a class action suit?
Several things puzzled me. Why were checks and credit cards sent to my home address? How did credit applicants expect to use them when they were being mailed to the real "me"? Just where was $2065.43 worth of merchandise orders to be delivered? I soon found out.
One day I happened to chat with my letter carrier, who expressed surprise that I was moving. WHAT??? She had set aside a packet of mail to be forwarded to another address, and told me she had already forwarded the previous days mail. The audacity of my alter ego! Everyone knows that no one messes with Uncle Sam's mail!
After hearing my story, the Postmistress phoned postal inspectors, who returned the call within minutes. He told me there was a proliferation of these crimes in my area, and he had been working with local police on the problem. In my case, he thought he knew who had stolen my identity. The ring-leader was a woman on probation from prison for similar crimes, so she was arrested quickly. A number of items ordered on "my" credit cards were in her possession.
There are many information sources available to criminals: the Internet; credit bureau data bases; genealogy tables to find family names; phone books, etc. Mail boxes or recycle bins are raided by identity thefts. No one can be careful enough.
President Clinton has asked Congress to enact legislation that will provide better security for Internet users. Is anyone safe unless they do? Or will identity theft get worse before it gets better?
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