With the launch this past week of “Kauai Temptations,” I decided that this week’s travel scam tip should focus on identity theft. Specifically, how my identity was stolen while we were on vacation in Hawaii. We’ve always been very careful with documents containing personal or financial information. We shred most everything unless it’s completely generic. That practice has kept us safe from the dumpster divers for many years—including prior to the time that my identity was stolen (although we might not have been as diligent back in those days). So how did my identity get stolen? The answer is, in almost exactly the same way that McKenna’s identity is stolen in “Kauai Temptations”—someone grabbed a batch of new checks right out of the post office.
Immediately before leaving on vacation for two weeks, we ordered new checks. This was back in the days when people actually had to write a check to pay a bill. We didn’t need them for the vacation—we had plenty for that—but were going to have bills to pay upon our return.
We thought our timing was perfect. The bank had told us it would be 2-3 weeks before our checks were delivered. We counted the days, decided that the soonest the checks would arrive was the day we returned home, and placed our order. What we didn’t count on was the bank’s “fudge factor.” In other words, they said the order would take at least 14 days and it really took 10. We also didn’t count on the temporary employee who was hired to fill in by the post office and was hired by the identity thieves to steal lucrative-looking packages. Because our checks came in early and were just sitting with our other mail we were the perfect target. The checks were literally stolen out of our held mail by a guy who must have decided that working on commission was a great way to supplement his normal paycheck. The bottom line is he got paid to sort mail and got a bonus from an identity thief.
The story in “Kauai Temptations” about the “super-duper” stereo system is true. Whoever ended up with my identity really did go to a Radio Shack and order a sound system. He also took a Costco membership, bought an expensive bicycle, and much more. It took nearly a year to recover financially—I don’t think either of us ever got over it emotionally. The moral to the story is to never give someone an opening to steal your identity. In our case, we unknowingly gave a thief a window in which to make hay with our credit. When traveling, it’s easy to slack off and expect everything to go according to plan. That, however, isn’t always what happens and dropping your guard for even a day can cost you a year’s worth of headaches.
Do you have a travel scam or crime story? Let me know because I’d love to feature your story.
