Identity theft (Ellison, RISKS-21.05)

[Martin Minow]

> Now -- how do we get consumer protection laws that make it clear that a
> consumer is not liable for any debts incurred by someone claiming to be
> him/her ...

Having recently been on the receiving end of identity theft, I'm a bit more
optimistic than Carl. I solved my problem by reading the back page of the
credit report, where it provided addresses of the federal agencies that
regulate collection bureaus, banks, and similar organizations. Letters to
the agencies resulted in one "opening a case" and, eventually, a letter of
apology from the bank in question (who hadn't answered my previous
requests/complaints).  I used an account record book -- a bound notebook
with numbered pages -- that had dated notes of every interaction I had with
the banks and credit card agencies, interspersed with software notes,
interesting URL's, telemarketing caller numbers, and other scribbles. This
let me document my complaints with the specific dates and times that I
attempted to resolve the problem.

Martin Minow minow at pobox.com

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