posted
I've been accused of some sort of fraudulent activity with some other woman's social security number. I have to go to Michigan to give a statement about that this afternoon. O_O It doesn't make any sense to me but some woman claims she has bad credit because of some unpaid phone bills of mine. Except I don't HAVE any unpaid phone bills.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Theca, I'm sure you will straighten it out in no time. Sounds like she might be making things up to get out of something. (?)
Good luck for a speedy resolution! Keep us updated.
(And completely off-topic, was anyone else befuddled why Sheriff would be calling Theca? I didn't realize they were still together.)
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Does she have the same name as you? or a similar SSN? I'm intrigued about the exact nature of the misunderstanding. (I work for a major credit card company, so identity theft and the like are always hot topics. NOTE: I'm not implying identity theft in the least. I hope everything works out well for you Theca. )
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
It surely can't be a coincidence that she lives less than 30 minutes away from me. Although I do wonder if there is a third party involved, someone using my name and her social security number to get away with things.
(KarlEd, we didn't talk SSN on the telephone but when I take my SS card in this afternoon hopefully things will be clearer.)
posted
This isn't going to be one of those horror stories where you never come back to Hatrack and we get worried and start making some calls and discover that not only did you never arrive in Michigan, no one has any record of any of this happening, so then one of us has to go physically check it out and they disappear too and then we have to try and convince the authorities that something up but they wont believe us while in the meantime we're getting picked off one by one, is it?
Seriously though, I hope it goes well! Probably you can just say: "nope, that ain't me" and then the sheriff will look into it and say "yep, that ain't her" and that'll be it.
posted
While I hope it's not the case, I'm betting this will be an awful, horrible mess to straighten out. Good luck!
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
GreNME.com has an article on identity theft. you might check it out, even though it may not apply in this particulat matter.
Posts: 5700 | Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I hope this gets straightened out quickly. It's possible all the ID theft was from this lady, and you were the "patsy" set up to distract the police. In which case, it might be pretty easy to straighten out for you.
If you feel uncomfortable, don't hesitate to get a lawyer. If they accuse you at all, get one.
Also, you should probably pull all 3 of your credit reports, too.
posted
I was thinking about the credit reports, too, Dag. As luck would have it, I just applied for a "luxury apartment" three weeks ago and they did a big credit check and I passed. I wondered if that ought to be good enough?
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
Funny story this reminded me of. Sheriff came over to my house once to straighten out a mix up in registration stickers the first thing that came to my head was a song:
posted
Soooo. The sheriff thinks I'm guilty of stealing this woman's identity and linking it with mine in such a way that the bills went to a third address in the area, or possibly to mine, and since her SSN was on the bill the collectors have been going after her and her credit is terrible. So now he has decided he has enough info to send his report to the prosecutor's office to see if they think there is enough evidence to arrest me of the felony of identity theft. He is "98%" sure I'm guilty.
He expects by the time that the paperwork is done the warrant for my arrest will be ready in 1-3 weeks time.
Me saying my credit looks perfect (and SHOWING him) and insisting I pay all my bills didn't get me anywhere. Apparently she has bad credit for at&t, sbc, AND MCI.
I'm...devastated. How to prove I didn't do it before I get arrested. Getting a lawyer in the morning.
posted
this is really odd. Did he say why in the world he thought it was you who did it?
Regardless...as others have said, you really need a laywer now. You don't have a choice in the matter...when the sheriff starts talking like that, you need a lawyer to make sure they don't screw you over.
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yes, get a lawyer, preferably a local one with a technical/identity theft background. Ask around with friends, or talk to your local bar association. The lawyer'll know best, but one thing you'll be able to do is request of the police that all communication go through your lawyer, which will eliminate your exposure to the bullying.
Oh, and keep notes of what the police say/do with regards to you, that way if they go too far, you can sue (really, they're already going too far by basically forcing you to get a lawyer to avoid strongarm tactics by an idiot cop, but I doubt you'd get much money from that).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
He sounds like an idiot who doesn't know what the hell he's talking about and is either a complete incompetent for taking the complaining witness at her word with little or no investigation or he's got a personal stake in this somewhere.
posted
Good advice. Get a lawyer, and listen to her. Don't talk to the police without her there. If you are not charged or in custody, the police (but probably not the prosecutor) can speak to you without your lawyer, and it will likely be admissible. So just don't do it.
You can't tell them anything that will help.
If the situation arises where you can tell them something that will help, your lawyer will tell you.
Also, you should stop posting anything specific here. You don't need to delete anything, but from now on give generic updates or requests for support. You can disclose process-oriented milestones (they sent this to the prosecutor), but nothing about the merits.
The police are no longer your friend. I hope I'm not scaring you, but I'd rather you be too cautious than not cautious enough.
posted
I'm getting fairly good news from all three companies that the sheriff listed, and the CEO of the large clinic I work for recomended a lawyer so I'll call in the morning. I think I'm in pretty good shape. The main thing I'm trying to protect is my reputation, which is very, very important in my field.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Good on the news, and the lawyer recommendation. Your reputation is exactly what I was thinking of... if it was me, unless I was actually jailed for a significant period of time, it would not affect my ability to find employement, I don't think. Different for you.
posted
We all believe you're innocent, and I'm sure that the cops will know it soon too. Go get 'em, Theca!
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Also, you should stop posting anything specific here. You don't need to delete anything, but from now on give generic updates or requests for support. You can disclose process-oriented milestones (they sent this to the prosecutor), but nothing about the merits.
This advice from Dags is so important I think it bears repeating. You don't want to accidentally waive attorney client privilege by posting anything you discuss with your attorney. I've never seen a case where privilege is waived via internet postings, but it is not impossible.
Modern discovery methods can retrieve all sorts of cached text from your computer. If you are accused of identity theft, it is possible for the prosecutor to ransack your computer for all sorts of information. Good luck and be careful.
Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
Call the credit bureaus (all 3) in the morning and put a fraud alert in your credit report. Anyone company approving new credit in your name will have to contact you personally and verify that you are who you say you are.
If you are applying for credit at this time, alert those companies to the fraud alert that you have placed on your credit history so they know that you have done this.
And get a lawyer. Local is a good idea because, frankly, they are going to have to battle the sheriff and it's better if they know the ins and outs of that office.
In particular, I'm betting that your local sheriff doesn't have much real experience or expertise in dealing with identity theft. A lawyer may be able to block your arrest in the first place if they can show that the evidence is weak or developed without any real expertise. (I'm hoping...)
Especially if they know the prosecutor and the sheriff.
Dag, if Theca is falsely accused, can she sue?
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Good luck Theca. I'm glad that you're getting a good lawyer. When I'm going through something really unplesant and stressful, it helps me to think "this will pass. There are only a certain number of units in time during which this will be my present, and they're slipping by as I'm thinking this. Pretty soon this will be something that happened, rather than something that is happening, and at least I'll get a good story out of it." I don't know if that helps you at all, but I hope it does.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah Belle, I also felt a wave of indignation and anger wash over me when I read the details Theca posted tonight. I wish I could do something to help.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Good luck Theca. If you need anyone to vouch for your character...I don't know if we would count, but there are at least 50 of us. *hugs*
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Dagonee is totally correct about the lawyer, as well as keeping your mouth shut when the cops question you. "Sir, I apologize but I want to speak with my lawyer," or similar helped me, and I suspect I had more evidence against me than you do. No matter how agravated you get, always be polite to the police. Being polite may or may not be incentive enough for the cop to speak in your favor, but it will never hurt.
Also, the cop is never your friend. If he wants to help, he can help in court. If he wants to f*ck you, he will do so in court, and use any legally admissible evidence you provided out of court to do so.
In conclusion, get a lawyer, because they are awesome.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Group Hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Good luck!
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
