Sammy knows firsthand how it feels to become a victim of fraud. He lived an identity theft “nightmare” that lasted years and cost him thousands of dollars in lost time and out-of-pocket expenses.

A thief stole Sammy’s important identifying information and used it to charge over $50,000 of merchandise in Sammy’s name from several stores. At age 74, Sammy was overwhelmed by the ordeal. He had a difficult time dealing with the mess that identity fraud caused in his life.

It started when Sammy received a telephone call from a woman who said she worked for the state police. She said she had “bad news” for Sammy because someone was impersonating him, and she wanted him to help her find the man. First, however, she asked Sammy to confirm that he was the person being impersonated and asked him to confirm his identity by giving her his personal identification.

Sammy, unaware that he was being scammed by the woman, gave her his Social Security number and birth date, which was all that an experienced thief needs to steal an identity.

Of course Sammy didn’t know he was a victim until thousands of dollars worth of bills came rolling in the mail to him the next month, bills for things he did not order and for things he never used.

It’s often difficult to get help for dealing with this crime. Sammy was very persistent and assertive. He wrote nearly 100 letters and made scores of telephone calls to various agencies. He incurred countless out-of-pocket costs for postage, long distance telephone calls, and travel expenses to settle this problem.

“The lady on the phone seemed so sincere, I still can’t believe she stole from me, and that I gave her my personal information without question,” Sammy said later. “I should have hung up the phone on her. I used to trust people more, now I realize I have to be more skeptical of people.”

Identity theft happens to people of every age. It only takes an experienced con man, or woman, just a minute to convince someone to give out personal information over the telephone.

Identity thieves can also get personal information from stolen purses, wallets, and credit cards. Even trash that has personal information can be used for fraudulent purposes.

Sammy isn’t so trusting anymore, nor should anyone be. It’s a shame we can’t trust strangers anymore. It’s another lesson we’ve learned while living in the modern world.

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