Published: February 02, 2008 09:10 pm         

Identity theft: It’s fraud and it violates you as a person

If you don’t do anything else today read this!

I often caution readers about various scams designed to part us from our money and I’ve also warned about identity theft.

And until now, I’d never actually experienced either. But here I am, a victim of identity theft by someone who received natural gas service in Dayton, Ohio, using my name and Social Security number.

I decided to get my credit report after I was denied access to credit on one of my accounts last week, ostensibly because of a delinquency. I have no delinquencies on any current or past accounts.

Over the weekend I got my credit report online and printed it out. At the very end was an account with a company called Vectren Energy 101, a natural gas utility that serves customers in Ohio and Indiana. The account was listed as being in collection for $810.

I looked the company up on the Internet and found telephone numbers for customer service, but I had to wait until 7 a.m. central time on Monday to call the company and talk to a representative.

Chris took my call and asked for my service address. That’s the problem, I explained, I have no service address. I’m calling because it appears someone is using my name and has failed to pay their gas bill.

He asked for my Social Security number and then came back on the line and asked if my name is Kathryn. Yes, it is but I don’t generally use my given name, I use a variation of my middle name, which happens to be Edmona.

“We have you listed under this Social Security number and name as receiving service between 2003 and 2004 at a residence on Oak Ridge Drive, Dayton, Ohio,” he said.

I told him that was impossible as I’ve never lived in Ohio and I don’t think I’ve ever been in Dayton at all.

“Well, we talked to you several times,” he said.

Now, I was really getting upset. “You didn’t talk to me, you may have talked to someone but it certainly wasn’t me,” I said.

“Do you have a sister in Ohio?” he asked. “Because we also talked to your sister.”

He just wasn’t letting go, even after I told him that I don’t have a sister in Ohio.

Finally, he said that if I wanted to challenge the company on the matter, I needed to file a police report and fax it to the company so they could investigate.

I went immediately to the Keyser (W.Va.) City Police station where Officer Christopher Paitsel, whom I’ve known for nearly the entire 23 years I’ve lived in Keyser, filled out the report and faxed it as requested.

A couple of hours later I got a call from Lynette of Vectren Energy, who asked me a couple of questions about how I thought the identity theft occurred and when. I have no clue. I don’t know anyone who lives in Ohio, let alone Dayton. My purse, credit cards and identification were never stolen.

I’m meticulous about shredding anything that comes in the mail with my name on it. I’ve ordered very few things online and I don’t think I ever ordered anything prior to 2004.

The problem partly occurred, however, because I was lax in checking my credit report. It has been about two years since I obtained a copy of the report and the errant item was reported in late 2006. Had I checked sooner this might not be happening.

I have absolutely no clue as to how this could have happened. And, if someone used my identity once, why not on other things?

Lynette asked me if I knew or had ever heard of the person she said currently resides at the address and who also resided at that address previous to the time the service was in my name. As much as I want to reveal that name here I won’t.

If, and it is still an if, that is the person who used my personal information to defraud the gas company, then I most certainly will prosecute.

After our conversation, Lynette faxed me about seven pages of documents that I must fill out to prove I couldn’t be the person they say charged gas service and left an outstanding balance of $810.

I not only have to provide them with proof of residence in the form of utility bills and other documents, I must provide my driver’s license, Social Security card and “anything else” I can think of to prove who I am and where I live.

In the meantime, my credit history has been damaged, my credit score dropped and my creditors are looking into my accounts.

It’s like being raped.

Don’t let this happen to you. The Web site freecreditreport.com is available to anyone who wants to see their credit report and it is this document that creditors use to determine your creditworthiness.

I never in a million years would have thought I would be a victim of identity theft. But it’s happened and fixing it is going to take a lot more time and effort than I would have imagined.

Contact Mona Ridder at mridder@times-news.com.