Identity Thief Steals Identity For 17 Years

This mess Joseph Kidd stole Larry Smith’s identity 17 years ago, when Smith was 50 years old. While operating under Smith’s identity, Kidd “spent time in jail, as sent to prison, paroled, obtained welfare and Medicare benefits, and got married.”

He did all this using Smith’s name, which means that Smith has had to deal with the imposter’s actions from afar, as if he himself had a criminal record, was married, and on welfare. While the real Smith has no criminal record, he spent eight days in jail because of Kidd’s crimes. The real Smith has had liens placed on his home, was denied medical care, and lost his driver’s license, all because Kidd stole his identity.

When people ask, “Why would anyone steal my identity? I have no money,” I point to Kidd. When they say, “But I have bad credit,” I point to Kidd. When they say, “I don’t have a computer or credit cards. I pay cash and I don’t bank online,” I point to Kidd.

This is what identity theft looks like. Identity theft goes way beyond your computer being hacked or your credit card number being used without your permission. What happened to Larry Smith is identity theft.

Identity theft can happen to anyone.  McAfee Identity Protection, offers proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts. McAfee Identity Protection puts victims first and provides live access to fraud resolution agents who work with the victim to help restore their identity even from past theft events. For additional tips, please visit http://www.counteridentitytheft.com.

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee Consultant and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing an identity theft pandemic on CNBC. (Disclosures)

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