The case of identity theft with a silver lining

At HV Shred, our goal is to keep the community informed on the latest news in identity theft. In the category of a silver lining to a potentially very bad situation, a case of identity theft had a happy ending for law enforcement and no doubt helped save some future intended victims.

As the story goes, a gentleman received a call from his credit card company questioning whether it was truly him who reserved a room in a Seattle hotel. Since the gentleman was no where near Seattle, he informed the credit card company it was a bogus charge and also called the Seattle police to report the credit card usage at the hotel.

When the police responded to the call, they found two men in the hotel room booked with the stolen credit card. Also in plain view were several cell phones, laptop computers, a router and papers with credit card numbers.

Further investigation turned up hard drives, iPod Touches, various electronic storage devices, magnetic card readers, routers, hotspots and computer peripherals along with unidentified pills and methamphetamine.

The two men were arrested and one duo of identity theft was shut down.

It’s a good reminder to keep an eye on your credit card statements for unauthorized charges. It’s all our jobs to be vigilant.

For more information on best practices for identity theft protection, visit www.hvshred.com

by Judith