Find the best credit card offers online.Crouse, 56, a Maryland resident, is a victim of identity theft. In less than six months, his name and account number had been used to rack up unauthorized transactions amounting to $900,000. He has since been trying to clear up his name and jack up his sagging credit standing, spending $100,000 in the process.
Previously, Crouse held a high paying job at a construction company and was financially comfortable. He frequented online retail stores, auctioned items at eBay and used his ATM card liberally. Then on February 2009, he started noticing suspicious charges on his credit card billing statement. Unauthorized purchases gradually piled up and by August 2009, he started receiving notices of charges amounting to thousands of dollars of purchases made in a single day. The problem became so huge that he had to daily go to banks to sign affidavits to clear his name of unauthorized transactions.
Adding insult to injury, Crouse was laid off of his job in March 2009 and was forced to rely on meagre unemployment checks and savings.
One time Crouse opened a new account and was immediately hit with a $1,100 charge within hours of approval. Bank officials informed him that he may have fallen prey to malware which picked up his personal information while he was transacting online. There were also cases of people using his name to open credit card accounts and subsequently used them to purchase items such as appliances and clothes.
Crouse became so frustrated and desperate that he even contemplated suicide. He felt that his life was spiralling out of control and he saw no end in sight to his misery. Since he didn’t have a steady source of income, he eventually fell behind on his bill payments, forcing him to let go of some prize possessions such as a vintage car and gold jewellery. One son had to drop out of college as he was no longer able to finance his studies.
When he tried to find employment, employers rejected his application due to his low credit score and massive debts. He eventually found work but had to take a substantial salary cut as his clearance to work in government buildings has been unceremoniously invalidated due to bad debts.
He now lives a simple life and had to forego a number of luxuries that he had been accustomed to when he was still earning well. He advises cardholders to not sign up to free trial offers online as he suspects that his identity was stolen in this manner. He also cautioned people not to give out personal information to individuals unless they are sure that it is for a legitimate purpose and to always keep receipts of their purchases.
