Identity Thieves -- A Family Affair

Remember Bonnie and Clyde? They weren’t family exactly but they were a couple, young and unmarried, with a scandalous reputation on many levels. Bonnie and Clyde were famous outlaws notorious for bank robberies and also killing nine policemen and several civilians. They were both killed in Lousiana by law officers at the ages of 23 and 25. Arthur Penn’s 1967 film made their reputation firm within the American pop folklore.

So that was the 1930’s. Today we still have the bank robbers but within our society we have other kinds of thieves. As our society has grown and progressed so have the different ways to steal. Yes there may be a slight risk that we could be held up at gunpoint at a bank, but do you know what our real risk is as an ordinary citizen? Having our identity stolen. I remember when I first heard that term, I imagined someone dressed up and masquerading as me -- perhaps donning a wig and driving my make of car. But it’s not even as sophisticated as that. Let’s look at a current story -- not even a famous one, but more an ordinary story that can happen everyday and to anyone whether you’re in your home, bank or local grocery story. So Bonnie and Clyde were kind of like family. What about mother and son? In Long Island back in March, a mother and son stole more than 60 identities. Their scheme was pretty simple: The mother, Tonia Cheeseman, worked at a doctor’s office where she would gain patient information from files and then Tonia and her son, Michael, would get credit cards in their victims’ names. They’ve been accused of stealing the identities of at least 63 people but these victims stretch far beyond the borders of Long Island, even as far as Florida. They’re both being held on bail for about $140,000 each. The most disturbing fact of our modern-day robbers is that they look like ordinary people -- no different to your neighbor next door. The Cheeseman’s neighbors even assumed they were nice innocent people.

What can we do? How can we know if we’re being duped? As sad as it is, a lot of thieves are well known to their victims. These kinds of thieves know our daily routine, they may have access to our financial information, and they even know such passwords as our mother’s maiden name. There are certain personality types you must be extra vigilant around:

1. Addicts who are sometimes desperate for money to get their next fix whether it be drugs, gambling or a number of other vices.


2. High living spenders whose job doesn’t match their lifestyle. They tend to rationalize and have little impulse control. They have to have the materials that go with the lifestyle, and they want it now.


3. Intrusive friends who are always asking questions that are none of their business -- especially financial questions. Beware if they claim they need your SSN to add you as a beneficiary to a policy etc.


4. A tarnished past of already stealing identities could be a vibrant red flag.


5. Watch your back with strangers who have access to your home and personal information. This could be when you have a party or your housekeeper’s son comes for a visit.

There are some signs to identify an identity thief, but as thieves have found different ways to rob us, we’ve found different ways to protect ourselves. We must be aware of the people in our life who have special access and then we must still be vigilant and even educate our children. Don’t ever give anyone else your credit card or PIN, always password protect your computer, and definitely lock up all important financial paperwork. If we do get duped -- and even if we don’t -- one way to protect ourselves is by subscribing to some kind of identity theft protection service. We may get tricked or fooled even when we know the signs and we’ve been extra cautious, but even after that we can protect ourselves by monitoring so we can catch these criminals before they cause years of damage to our lives and credit. Education and then putting into motion active protective measures is our way of catching the modern-day thieves.