One Man's Struggle to Reclaim His Good Name

Jeff Jones doesn't know where it happened, how it happened or when it happened.

All the Bel Air sales rep knows for sure is that someone swiped his Social Security number more than a year ago and opened Verizon Wireless and online accounts in his name 68 miles down the road in Washington.

Discovering the bad act by chance in January 2007, Jones quickly found out how a real case of identity theft can turn your world upside down.

I use the word "real" because a lot of the estimated 7 million to 10 million cases of so-called identity theft reported each year really involve fraud - unauthorized charges showing up on your credit or debit card and the like. True identity theft occurs when someone uses your SSN, home address, driver's license or other personal data to commit fraud and open a new credit card account, take out loans, rent or buy cars and homes, or even get medical treatment at your expense.

The first you'll discover easily enough when you check your credit card bills or bank account, and federal rules protect you from being held liable in most cases. The other could go unnoticed for a long time - until you're denied credit when you need it most.

One is an irritant. The other, a nightmare.

"It was beyond hard and so frustrating," Jones, 28, said about his 10-month ordeal to take his identity back.

"You basically have to prove who you are to everyone and then prove that those accounts aren't you," he said.

"I was really worried that I was never going to get it resolved. It seemed like nobody was willing to take the time to help me," Jones said.

Jones found out about the two accounts, both in arrears, by accident when his brother was trying to buy a home in California.

"I was more than surprised," Jones said. "For some reason our credit reports got merged and I saw an account with Verizon in my name that was due. I don't have and have never had an account with Verizon. My credit was perfect aside from these glitches."

So began Jones' attempts to clear his good name and financial record.

He immediately sent letters to the three credit-reporting agencies. He filed a police report. He called Verizon to alert them to the unauthorized account.

By providing the telecom's fraud department with verification of his identity using pay stubs and a utility bill, Jones convinced Verizon that the $176 unpaid bill sent to a Washington address was not his.

Then things got hairy.

A check of his credit reports found another ding from a debt collection agency for an $84 bill past due for a Verizon online account.

"In the calls I made to the debt collection agency, they told me I had to fix it through Verizon," Jones said. "In months' worth of calls to Verizon, they'd say, 'We're going to take care of this. It's been verified. We believe you.' And then I'd check with the credit agencies and the accounts were still there."

Bounced among the debt collector, the telecom and the credit-reporting agencies, everyone told Jones they believed him but no one seemed able to help clear him.

By August, Jones said he'd lost track of the hours he spent writing letters that got only rote responses, or calling customer service lines that put him on hold and then hung up on him.

Every time Jones was told the problem would be fixed, he'd get his credit report and see that it wasn't.

Meanwhile, he was feeling the effects of his identity theft.

When he went to buy his fiancee a necklace from Macy's in July, the sales clerk talked him into opening an account to save some money.

"I got denied for a credit card there," Jones said. "That's when I realized that if I were looking for a house or if I needed a loan, I wouldn't be able to get one.

"The mental stress from worrying about it and trying to get it resolved were the biggest things weighing on me.

"Thank God my dad, who is retired, was helping me with the letters and calls because I wouldn't have been able to do this all myself."

But even Jones and his dad, Albert Jones, had a limit. When they could take it no more, they turned to the Maryland attorney general's office.

"The AG's office sent letters to everyone and within 30 days" the Verizon accounts were cleared, Albert Jones said.

"My file on this is two inches think. I don't know how much we spent sending letters to everyone by registered mail. I'm not sure how many times we paid $30 to go online to get his credit report. Trying to fit it in during the day while he was at work. If it weren't for the fact that I'm retired and I was following up on some of it on his behalf, I don't know how most people handle it.

"It just really makes you feel victimized and emotional," he added. "It's so stressful."

You might say Jeff Jones could consider himself lucky. After all, he only had to deal with two accounts. As most law enforcement officers who investigate such economic crimes will tell you, it can get so much worse.

Also, most identity theft experts say it can take one to two years - or longer - for victims to clear their names.

But the ordeal isn't really over for Jones.

One month after he thought everything was resolved, an unauthorized DirecTV account showed up on his credit report. The problem was easily fixed by the credit agencies and the satellite TV company, but Jones now feels perpetually ill at ease.

"I just don't know if that person is going to strike again with my Social Security number," Jeff Jones said. "Will it pop up at the most inconvenient time, like when I go buy a house? Will I get calls from collection agencies down the road? It's always hanging over my head."

Reference: baltimoresun.com

(IDTheftDefense.com) and (USPublicRecords.com)