Identity Theft Victim Harassed By Creditors

Identity theft is a serious crime as well as a serious problem for those victimized by it. In 2005, CBS News reported about a man victimized by identity thieves who had to fight a long, grueling, four-year battle against his creditors. Very few people went through what John Harrison went through and with his unfortunate experience and his fight in clearing his name, an ironic twist came along –ChoicePoint’s president had to consult with Harrison about a book on identity theft that the former was writing at the time.

Back in 2001, Harrison’s name and credit was used in buying two cars from Ford, one Kawasaki motorcycle, a Harley, and a few things from Sears, JC Penny, Home Depot and Lowes. The total was $265, 000 in just four months.

The authorities later on arrested the thief Jerry Phillips who was sent to prison for a total of three years –a lot less time than the four-year battle his victim had to go through. Phillips apologized to Harrison and this should have made Harrison happy since the thief was already in jail but even with letters from the Justice Department were sent to his creditors, he is still being harassed by these firms. In fact, in 2005, Harrison still had $140, 000 in debt.

This may be old news but this is something that we must learn from. The story about Harrison is something that should remind us to check our credit reports regularly in case something goes amiss. Eric Gertler said in an interview with CBS News that what Mr. Harrison experienced reflects how the system is so unfair.

Most of us are law abiding citizens and we follow all the rules but based on what happened to Harrison who was harassed by creditors for debt he did not incur, the law might not be able to help us. This is of course the worst case scenario.

Prevention is better than cure they say so be sure to check your credit report regularly so that you can monitor the goings on in your account.

The best thing to do if you are victimized by an identity thief is to file a report to the police immediately and then contact all the major credit bureaus regarding the incident. You should also contact your creditors immediately to inform them that you are not the one who incurred debt in your accounts. You should call a lawyer too to make sure that you are ready for anything that will come your way.

It pays to know your rights and to be ready to defend them once the going gets tough. And based on Harrison’s advice, it also pays for you to check your credit report regularly.