Identity Thief Attempts to Defend Herself with Oldest Trick in the Book
July 1, 2009 – 8:07 am
We’ve all heard the excuse that “the dog ate my homework.” Now a Arlington, Washington resident is claiming that she had no choice but to commit identity theft and forgery because “the dog ate her checkbook.” Sure, it’s a variation on the classic, but one the police — much like high school teachers — aren’t buying.
According to the woman with the hungry canine, she had to take money from her ex-husband’s bank account because she was out of checks. And if she doesn’t have checks she can’t buy the dog food. And if the dog has no food, he’ll just eat her checks again. It’s a voracious cycle. The ex-hubby got suspicious when he noticed a depletion of funds and called the cops. They sniffed out the money trail which led to utility payments for the ex-wife. When confronted with the charges the thief laid down the “doggy ate” defense. No word on if she was able to do so with a straight face.
This is a case where the identity theft thief had previous access to the victim’s information afforded through their prior marriage bond. But it does bring up a good question. Who do you treat your privileged information with? How long has it been since you’ve updated your passwords and pin numbers? Are all the people who have access to your information trustworthy? Do you keep your identity information out of reach to visitors in your home? It might be a good time to look around and make sure that your information is safe from friend and foe.
Tags: bank account, checkbook, checks, dog ate my homework, forgery, identity theft, money trail, victim
