It happened to me, it can happen to you! It is me yet again, Mrs. Detective. I am writing again about a personal experience that I would like to share with all of you. This article may not be as funny as my past articles. It is about a very serious matter that is on the rise in this country, identity theft.
This can happen to anyone of us, and it can take years, and much bad credit to fix the mess that it may cause.

The majority of identity theft victims know the person who stole their identity. Yes, it is often an acquaintance, co-worker, old friend, jilted lover. The list goes on...

It is so easy now with the internet to steal someone’s identity, and charge clothes, electronics, obtain credit cards, and even rent an apartment. This reason I am writing this for ex in the city, is because sometimes when we go through divorce we are so vulnerable and we let our guard down, and do down right stupid things as I did...

Yes, I am talking about the stud I met in Texas once again. It was not until my husband and I went to apply for a mortgage that I found that the stud had stolen my identity. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I was living in New England and also living in an apartment in Texas at the same time, or that I had accumulated a $6000 cell phone bill, and purchased a computer with a newly acquired credit card that I had never seen!

Just so you all know, here is how it can happen, all the perpetrator needs is your name, mothers’ maiden name, and your SS# and they can do just about anything. Being a private investigator, when my credit came back bad, we of course ran my SS#. How surprised we were to find that I was a 32 year old male living in Texas, and not the 42 year old mother, that we all thought I was.

So, here goes, here is what you do to avoid it, and then I will tell you how to put the fires out if it happens.

First of all never give anyone you have met online, any personal information! Never have I repeated never give out your SS #. Here are some other important things to do:

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials, instead of your first and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your
initials, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

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