Identity Theft and the Internet

Identity Theft and the Internet

You come home and find two mysterious UPS packages at your doorstep. Funny; they're addressed to you, but you didn't order anything. You open one of them to find a cell phone with the latest accessories. The enclosed invoice shows that it was shipped to you but billed to someone with your name at another address a few miles away. Same name? Same city? Stranger things can happen. There's a phone number, so your husband tries to call to let your namesake know that UPS delivered her packages to the wrong address. When you hear the woman on the line say, "Yes, this is [insert your full name here]," you get a sinking feeling in your stomach. Your husband quickly hangs up on her. Another review of the invoice reveals payment was made by MasterCard. You have a MasterCard but haven't used it in a while, so--what the hell--you call the toll-free customer service line. After being transferred here and there, answering this question and that one, it hits you: you're just another victim.

This is the way I discovered last year that I had become a victim of identity theft. Weeks and months later, I learned that, in addition to making fraudulent charges to my credit card, the criminals opened several cell phone accounts using my name, address, date of birth, and social security number. They even had the audacity to have two phones purchased illegally added to my existing, legitimate cell phone account. At times, I loathed opening my mailbox for fear of finding yet another invoice asking me to pay hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars for these lowlifes to buy and talk on cell phones. Should you ever find yourself in a similar, unfortunate situation, know that the Internet contains web sites that can he...

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...en made, my case is still pending. With the help of the Internet, I am an informed victim who was able to more than fully cooperate in the criminal investigation into the crime committed against me. Web sites don't have to be directly related to identity theft for them to be helpful. Each of the sites I visited during the course of my personal investigation, productive for the criminal investigation or not, contributed to the peace of mind and confidence I now feel. Fraudulent bills and collection notices continue to arrive in the mail but no longer intimidate me. I am empowered with knowledge, and I look forward to the day that my case is solved and the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Because my case is still pending, I choose not to explicitly describe its specific details so that the eventual prosecution of the perpetrators is not jeopardized in any way.