Could the real Mr F please stand up?

by Mr F
(Dublin, Ireland)

It was an otherwise unremarkable winter morning when I learned my identity had been stolen. I was eating breakfast while sleepily opening my post.
"Dear Sir, this is to remind you that your first payment of 50.40 (euros) is due on December 1, in accordance with our credit agreement."
I was going to bin it. They obviously had the wrong man.

Reading on, I found someone had bought a 42' plasma screen television in my name and agreed that I would pay for it over a four year term, until I cleared the 2,500 euros debt.
(This was slightly galling given that my own television was a dusty 14' plastic box born in the late 1980s.)

So I called the credit company and explained their mistake. "There's no mistake, sir. We have your bank details, electricity bill, and a copy of your driving license. We know where you live and have your previous address (from the driving license). We even know your profession."

Oh dear. Their case was so compelling that I began to wonder whether I'd simply forgotten going into an electrical shop, picking the biggest TV in stock and signing a credit agreement.

I was flummoxed. How could I prove that this was nothing to do with me? Part of the problem was that they couldn't show me copies of the documentation they had - for data protection reasons.

I was worried about my credit record if I defaulted, and worried that the criminals might go on a shopping spree on my behalf. It was also a little creepy to think that someone knew so much about me and that if I reported it to the police, they certainly knew where to find me - at home and at work.

But calling the police was the only option. The officer on reception raised a disbelieving eyebrow and looked at me as though I was mad when I told her my identity had been stolen. But she eventually put me in touch with an inspector. They were professional, even though they were clearly open to the possibility that I was in on the scam - that I had perhaps colluded with a friend to con the TV shop out of a plasma screen.

To the frustration of the police, staff at the electric outlet were less than cooperative with their inquiries, leading one detective to confide that this was not the first time such a case had proven tricky to solve. Staff at the retailer had conveniently 'lost' the CCTV tape from the day the TV was purchased, and it seemed management at the store weren't too bothered about reclaiming the TV or the cash. It was small change to them - but not to me.

What I did learn (eventually) was that the driving license used to 'prove' identity was a fake. It included my details but someone else's face. The electricity bill was also a dummy: the name and address were real but the account number was fabricated.

So, somehow, the criminals had obtained my bank account details and seen my driving license (they knew my previous address as well as my current one). With that, they had my date of birth and found my occupation through a simple Google search.

My best theory - although not proven - is that when I supplied these details to the City Council in an application for a driving permit, they were not 'well protected'. I complained to the Council who launched an 'investigation' that led nowhere.

This sorry tale dates back almost four years now and, officially, the case is still 'open'. There were no convictions, no arrests and no real suspects. But I didn't pay and my credit record is clean.

I've changed my bank account, got a new driving license and moved house. But whoever used my identity has got away scot free and may well strike again.

I bet he's still watching that flatscreen TV right now...

Editor's Comment: Thank you Mr F for this explanation of your situation. While this isn't proof of an epidemic, there has been a belief for some time that identity theft is strictly an American problem - and yet you are in Dublin. I bet you aren't even American!

Your story proves just how difficult it can be to catch identity thieves - and of course prosecution and punishment comes later. The fact that your case is officially still 'open' speaks volumes.

Thank you again for sharing your story with us.