My Experience with Identity Theft

It was just a routine trip to the bank to make a deposit. However, the surprise came about when I noticed that my balance was about $1,500.00 in the red. I closed the account and filed a claim with the banks security department.

Someone in the LA area had become me. They had gotten access to my bank account and obtained an ATM card. They used it to get $300.00 per day for 5 days. In addition they filled their tank with gas a couple of times so the cost to my account was about $1,600.00 before it was over.

That was just the beginning.

Soon after, I discovered the perps had changed by address on my bank account and my statement was mailed to their residence instead of mine. As you know, on your cancelled checks are credit card account numbers and your signature. All data that can be used by a criminal to their advantage.

Then I began to get calls from credit card companies, such as Sears and Macy's, asking me why I was opening additional accounts with them. Of course, it wasn't me. It was the criminal who was claiming to be me.

I filled police reports with my local police department. The Los Angeles Police Department didn't want my report as even though the crime was taking place in their jurisdiction, I was not. They told me there was a lot of ID Theft taking place there. A feeling of helplessness was coming over me. Several calls to the bank security department were not fruitfull. They didn't know who were the perpetrators and it didn't seem like the Police were going to do anythingf

I still have some work to do - as my credit reports are not quite repaired yet.

If I had had a membership with the Identity Theft Shield all the repairs would have been taken care of by Kroll Background America, the world's leading risk consulting company. That would have saved me tons of time and effort.

More on this later . . .