Article Tags: Real Story

I travel a lot for work. Airports are routine to me. In fact, I know the layout of many airports by heart. Several years ago I was on a layover at O’Hare International Airport, which wasn’t uncommon, and I decided to grab a magazine and a pack of gum in one of the Hudson news shops. The entire transaction took less than 75 seconds, and nothing about the clerk seemed suspicious or out of the ordinary. My debit card was within my sight the entire time. 
 

My identity theft experience started seven years ago. I was expecting a new credit card to arrive in the mail. I didn’t think much of it until one day my husband and I realized the card had never arrived. We decided to be patient and wait a little longer. Then, one day we came home to a message on our voicemail from the credit card company. They had shut down our account due to abnormal activity. Since I received the voicemail after the credit card company had closed, I wasn’t able to contact them until the next day.

I’ve been a victim of identity theft not once, but twice. So, you can be sure that I’m always aware my identity can be stolen.
The first incident happened a few years ago. I was checking my bank account balance online when I noticed a problem. The bank showed I had $900 less in my account than I expected to have. I immediately called my wife to see if she might have made a purchase without telling me. Of course, she hadn’t. When I checked into where the money might have gone, I found out that purchases were being made on eBay—using my money!

Not too long ago, I made a disturbing discovery. I received a statement in the mail for a department store credit card that I hadn’t authorized, and noticed a shipping address that was not my own. My name was listed on the bill, and my home address was recorded as the billing address - but the shipping address was for a location in an entirely different state.

Ten years ago my identity theft nightmare began. I received a telephone call from a government office a few counties away from where I lived informing me that my driver’s license was being revoked due to my drug addiction and criminal record. Horrified, I immediately began asking questions since I had neither a drug problem nor a criminal record. 

Then, one day we came home to a message on our voicemail from the credit card company....My identity theft experience started seven years ago. I was expecting a new credit card to arrive in the mail. I didn’t think much of it until one day my husband and I realized the card had never arrived. We decided to be patient and wait a little longer. Then, one day we came home to a message on our voicemail from the credit card company. They had shut down our account due to abnormal activity.

Not too long ago, I made a disturbing discovery. I received a statement in the mail for a department store credit card that I hadn’t authorized, and noticed a shipping address that was not my own. My name was listed on the bill, and my home address...Not too long ago, I made a disturbing discovery. I received a statement in the mail for a department store credit card that I hadn’t authorized, and noticed a shipping address that was not my own.