Stolen Identity
“Ordinary riches can be stolen; real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you. – Oscar Wilde
Jeanine thinks I’m obsessed with the paper shredder… but I’m convinced this is one compulsion worth having after reading the story of Heidi Journey in this week’s issue of Time magazine .
After applying for a business loan, Journey found out that she “owed $10,000 on a Discover card, had a VW Jetta repossessed after failing to make payments, broke an apartment lease, didn’t pay college fees and owed money on utility and cell-phone bills.”
“She learned about those debts the same day the bank did. She was the victim of the worst kind of identity theft – new accounts opened in victims’ names without their knowledge, as opposed to the more common misuse of existing accounts. Her credit was destroyed and four years later, Journey, 29, still has to pay for everything in cash and has yet to resolve all the bills.”
Amanda Bower at Time suggests these two websites to Protect Your Good Name:
FinancialPrivacyNow.org: Consumers Union’s advocacy site freeze-lay information and FAQs on identity theft.
OptOutPrescreen.com: Use it to take your name off pre-approved-credit mailing lists sold by the by the bureaus. (Or do what I do… shred everything!)
Jeanine thinks I’m obsessed with the paper shredder… but I’m convinced this is one compulsion worth having after reading the story of Heidi Journey in this week’s issue of Time magazine .
After applying for a business loan, Journey found out that she “owed $10,000 on a Discover card, had a VW Jetta repossessed after failing to make payments, broke an apartment lease, didn’t pay college fees and owed money on utility and cell-phone bills.”
“She learned about those debts the same day the bank did. She was the victim of the worst kind of identity theft – new accounts opened in victims’ names without their knowledge, as opposed to the more common misuse of existing accounts. Her credit was destroyed and four years later, Journey, 29, still has to pay for everything in cash and has yet to resolve all the bills.”
Amanda Bower at Time suggests these two websites to Protect Your Good Name:
FinancialPrivacyNow.org: Consumers Union’s advocacy site freeze-lay information and FAQs on identity theft.
OptOutPrescreen.com: Use it to take your name off pre-approved-credit mailing lists sold by the by the bureaus. (Or do what I do… shred everything!)
posted by Nina Smith at 5:34 PM
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