Identity Theft: Wilma’s Nightmare

by ITRC

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Well, I guess there goes my day.  What do you mean I can’t write a check in your store?  I have money in my checking account.  Take this paper and call who? This company collects on bounced checks.  I don’t bounce checks, never!
This is how I found out that I was a victim of check fraud.  There I was standing in line and my check was denied, the embarrassment was mortifying.  So, was calling the check verification company to find out that it was not my bank’s checking account but a new checking account that I did not open up.  My thief had walked into a bank and opened up this checking account using the information from my stolen wallet.

It was a never ending tale of explaining to the merchants, the check verification companies and the check restoration office of the county, that I did not do this.  The companies wanted the fraud affidavit notarized, and a police report to be mailed to them.  Do you know what a notary costs? It is not cheap. The paper trail was never ending.  I spent days calling and verifying mailing addresses.  Does it go to the store’s fraud department or back to the check verification company?

I had notified the bank that opened the account that I was not the person that walked into their bank and opened the checking account.  They sent a nice letter that said I did not open the account, but it was up to me to clear up all the checks.  All two hundred and fifty of them.

I sent all the documents to every company that got the checks.  I was able to change my driver’s license number so that I could write checks in stores again.  The DMV requested proof that my license was used to open the account and then used in the stores for merchandise. The proof was easy to obtain from the merchants and the bank.

It seemed like it took forever to get all of it cleared up.  It was a total nightmare. After all was said and done I felt like I had been a hurricane and was sure of only one thing; I would never, ever leave my wallet in the car again.

__________________

“Wilma’s Nightmare’” was written by Wilma, a Victim Advisor at the Identity Theft Resource Center who was a victim of check fraud.

Identity Theft Resource Center® (ITRC) is a nonprofit, nationally respected organization dedicated exclusively to the understanding of identity theft and related issues. The ITRC provides victim and consumer support, public education, and advisory services to governmental agencies, legislators, law enforcement, and businesses.  Victims may contact the ITRC toll-free at 888-400-5530.

 

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