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Identity Theft in the Clinton Hill/Bed-Stuy Area
By The Changeling | December 31, 2007
This morning I found a letter in my inbox from a reader who was a victim of identity theft (see below). This should serve as a reminder to all of us that we have to make sure that we shred every piece of paper with any identity information on it before we throw it out. Thanks to the reader who shared her story.
Hi all-
I just called the 88th precinct to tell them someone stole my social security # and DOB to apply for a credit card in my name. And they said that I was the second person to call them this morning, in the same area (I’m on the CH/BS border), to report the same thing. So someone is in the Clinton Hill-Bed-Stuy area, rifling through mail and stealing idenitities. I’m awful about shredding so I’m sure they got it from some past bill or something.
In any case, Discover card actually has the address of the person who filed the application in my name, but they can’t release it to me. I had to alert the credit bureaus that I’m a victim of identity theft, and when I get my credit report, I can then bring it to the police station and file a report. The police then take it from there (tho who knows if they will).
But clearly, there’s a trend in the hood, and the more people who are aware of it the better.
Pass it on.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:52 am
maybe or maybe not related but when i lived in clinton hill in 2000 i was also the victim of identity theft. i’m also positive that somebody did so by rifling through discarded mail because my last name (italian with lots of vowels) was mangled the same way as i had seen lots of junk mail come to me. long, drawn out story but it took years for the situation to right itself and required me doing credit checks every three months for about three years to have the blemishes removed. good luck to the folks dealing with it. identity theft laws and policies have come a long way since i had to deal so hopefully the process will be less painful now.
and yeah… definitely do not EVER throw anything out with even just your name and address on it.
December 31st, 2007 at 12:16 pm
also, to anyone dealing with identity theft: don’t expect the police to help you out. be vigilant and get credit reports every three months on your own. you will be amazed at what people will do with your information. the person(s) who stole my identity had picture IDs made (fake NY drivers licenses that were used in the south), opened sprint wireless and blockbuster accounts, flew all over the eastern seaboard on US airways (on a bereavement discount no less!), and even forged a check in the amount of $9,000 in columbia, south carolina. definitely get credit reports done regularly. it’s also worth noting that as far as i was ever able to tell they did all of this WITHOUT my social security number.
December 31st, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Listen, it’s not just criminals! One of the credit reporting bureaus (equifax) mixed up my identity with someone else! My file had her info and hers had mine.
I only found out when applying for a mortgage and despite my efforts and equifax’s claims that they have taken care of it, the same mistake keeps reappearing — it’s like the incorrect information keeps replicating itself.
So it’s not just someone stealing stuff out of your garbage that makes it worth your while to keep checking with the credit reporting places, as much as a PITA as it is (and it IS).
December 31st, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Hey, speaking of identity theft…What happened to your blog earlier today? It was some joke site.
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:59 am
Oh crap, I live on the BS/CH border and my shredder broke a few months ago. I haven’t shredded my mail since. Guess I’ll be checking credit reports every month for a while.