Reporter who covers Identity Theft becomes victim herself:Identity Theft Blog at Identity Theft Secrets

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Reporter who covers Identity Theft becomes victim herself

So here's something interesting to note.

A reporter for the Longmont Times Call (in Colorado), recently became a victim of credit fraud herself.

"As a crime reporter, I had written dozens of stories about identity theft and credit card fraud. I knew what to do. I called credit reporting agencies and told them about my stolen account number to protect my credit rating. I called the police. Then I got antsy. I started investigating the businesses where my money was spent. I soon found out it was going to be harder than making some phone calls and dressing down some careless store managers. The four businesses — Shoe Depot, Tina Fashion, Frank Collection and Photo Creation — where money from my account was spent are in Fontana, Calif., according to my bank statement. So I called the Fontana Police Department. I called the city’s chamber of commerce. I went on the Better Business Bureau Web site. But no one had ever heard of the stores, and the police couldn’t find an address for them. I even left messages for people whose names are connected to two of the “businesses,” which I found on a public information Web site. No one called back. Luckily, my bank sorted out the mess and had money back in my account by 2:30 p.m."

The article is written under the title of Identity Theft a bitter pill. Fortunately for the reporter, she was only a victim of credit fraud.

Credit only accounts for 25% of Identity Theft. As the reporter experienced, the advice everyone offers you regarding how to deal with Identity Theft may be good, but it also may be incomplete, and often doesn't help victims who really need the help the most. Because most of the advice available deals with the financial impacts of identity theft, the people who need the most help are those for whom there are the fewest answers.

What real advice is there for those who have had their social security number stolen and had it used to commit medical identity theft, character Identity Theft, social security identity theft (i.e. someone working under your name and you owe the taxes) or gotten a new DMV record in the name of the victim?

The majority of the advice is statistical... be patient, and persistent, because the average identity theft victim spends 600 hours and $1500 in the quest to clear their name.

Click here to see what Identity Theft Secrets feels is the best protective solution for the majority of Americans, or you can also visit the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, which has some excellent Do-It-Yourself preventive solutions.

Posted by Jonathan on October 9, 2006 02:28 PM | Permalink
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