“The Dog Ate My Identity” What?
Remember that old excuse students used to tell the teachers in order to get out of doing their homework, “the dog ate my homework?” As kids, sometimes you’d get away with an excuse like that and even if you didn’t, well you were just a kid so it wasn’t the end of the world. It seems some of the kids that tried those excuses are back to their old tricks, even in their old age. Only this time they’re not just skipping homework, they’re committing a crime.
Fraudulent Identity Theft Claims
One of the latest schemes scammers have been cooking up involves falsely claiming they’ve been a victim of identity theft in order to get out of paying back their debt. With the threat of identity theft growing day by day, many financial institutions and credit card companies have implemented identity theft protection services, so that if you’re identity is ever stolen, you can trust that your money will be returned and identity restored. Our scammers see this as an opportunity - they claim they’ve been a victim of identity theft and get part, or sometimes the majority, of their debt removed. Some people even plan on making their fraudulent claim weeks in advance so that they can live it up at lavish hotels and expensive restaurants before doing so, all the while knowing they won’t have to pay for any of it. Catching these false claims can be difficult and time consuming for fraud investigators, although a good portion of the scammers are finally being put to justice. You may be asking yourself, “How do these people’s crimes really affect me?” Well thanks to their dishonorable ways, you’ll have a more difficult time proving you’ve truly been a victim of identity theft should it ever happen to you. It took years for authorities to really buy in to identity theft and help victims get back on their feet, but with people taking advantage of them they have no choice to be overly cautious in their approach now.
The Consequences of False Identity Theft Claims
So what happens to these individuals who get caught making these fraudulent identity theft claims? Depending on their specific situation, they could easily see several years jail time. This is a form of fraud and authorities are not looking upon it lightly. The lesson here - don’t make false identity theft claims and if you are a victim of identity theft, report it immediately and be honest in your report.
