ABSTRACT
It can happen to anyone. The phone rings and a collection agency demands that you pay past-due accounts for merchandise you never ordered. The postman delivers a demand letter from a lawyer threatening a lawsuit for nonpayment of bills owed to his clients. The supermarket refuses your checks because you have a recent history of writing “non-sufficient funds” (NSF) checks and bouncing them. But you know you have a perfect credit record and always pay bills on time. What has happened? You have not suddenly become a “deadbeat”; you have become a victim of a crime — a very personal, nightmarish crime. Someone has stolen your identifying information and is using it for his own personal advantage.
