Strange and unusual – with ID theft, it can happen

February 15, 2012 – 1:04 pm

Identity theft happens in a myriad of ways, and some of those ways are, well, strange. Here are a couple of strange tales which contain jewels of information you can use.

• A woman received a credit card from a bank. Trouble was, she hadn’t ordered it. Normally this wouldn’t have been a headline, but the fact was that the card was for the previous occupant of the woman’s apartment – that occupant had moved out eight years prior. Once the woman reported the card to the bank, she thought it was resolved. But the bank sent a replacement card to the woman – again. She could have gone hog-wild with the card, but fortunately for the former tenant, she’s an honest person.

Lesson here: Make sure your credit card issuer knows you’ve moved and has your new address.

• A man ordered a new Kindle, but it was mailed to the wrong person. Amazon sent him another Kindle, but whoever got the first one proceeded to rack up charges on the first one, which was preloaded with the man’s e-mail, address and credit card information. Amazon fixed the problem fairly quickly after the man explained it to them, refunded the purchases, and blocked the thief from making any further purchases.

Lesson here: If you order an electronic device that will have your personal or financial information on it, make sure it is delivered to a locked mailbox, or have the post office hold it until you can pick it up yourself. Never allow it to sit outside on your porch – anyone walking by could take it and have a field day.

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