Lana Gautier
I am Svetlana, but you can call me Lana. I remember in about 2001 or 2002, my Bank of America checking account was charged $550.00 and $300.00 for Amazon purchases. The transactions showed that the purchases were made on Christmas day. I did not shop anywhere on that day! BofA took care of this issue and credited the amounts back to my account. I had to fill out an investigation report with them, but they never shared with me the results of that investigation. I never thought of this incident again until later.
At the beginning of 2006, I applied for a job, which required a very thorough criminal background check. Once my results came back, the hiring manager started asking me all kinds of questions. “Do you go by any other name?” “Do you have two different residences?” “Do you have another job?” “Are you really a man?” Okay, I made up this last questions. Of course, my answers were “No” to all of the above. I couldn’t understand why the manager was asking me all these questions. I understood why she was asking them when I got a copy of my background check.
As it turns out, I was also listed as a male living in Mesa, AZ since 2002. I have been living in CA since I got to this country! My first reaction was panic, then it turned into anger, then I felt helpless and defenseless, then I got scared, then I got upset and teary. Why would someone do something like that? Well, because they can.
I called the Social Security Administration, they weren’t much of help, but they did give me a phone number for the Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Unit. I was told that most likely the person using my SS# was using it for employment purposes. But the FTC really did not do anything else. I thought that, if they have the name and the address, they could do something. But no, they did not. What FTC does is collects these cases for statistical purposes. The affidavit that you fill out through FTC is very handy, though, at the time when you have to prove that you have been a victim of Identity Theft. Anyhow, I thought that I did not have to do anything else. I actually thought that I have filed a report with an FBI Identity Theft Unit. Don’t ask why, because I don’t know why I thought that for the longest time. I did not know I had to put a Fraud alert with the Credit Bureaus. I did not know I should have called my credit card companies to alert them. I thought, since I am not using any of my credit cards, I am fine. Well, almost two years later, I started getting collection notices, statements with outrages balances, all sorts of weird phone calls, etc. Trying to prove that you do not owe that much has been a challenge, but this is a different story and I will talk about it on a blog dedicated just to that subject.
It has not been easy dealing with it, but let me tell you, if you do everything right, it is not the end of the world! You eventually will clear up your name; it just takes a long time, a lot of patience and nerves. Identity Theft and Identity Fraud could happen to anybody! It is the fastest growing crime in the United States. The best way to protect yourself from it is the knowledge. This is why I wanted to create this site.
If you feel the information provided on this website is useful to you, please help me to maintain this site and bring awareness to others about this annoying crime. The more we know the better we can fight it together. Knowledge is power! I will appreciate any help. Thank you in advance.
*Please keep in mind that the information provided on this site is for informational and entertainment purposes and never should be thought of as a legal advice. This website is a result of my personal experience with Identity Theft and many hours of research and self education. Please consult a lawyer if and when you need legal advice and representation.*
