TULSA, Okla. — "I was getting hit left and right," Carrie Hall said.
At 70-years old, she wants seniors and others to hear how identity thieves upended her life, in hopes they will take greater precautions to keep it from happening to them.
Hall told 2 News identity thieves used her personal information to open accounts, with some bills going directly to her like the fee for a gym where someone else used her information to open a membership. “And I have never been to that gym, but yet and still I owe a $398 bill."
Identity thieves targeted her bank accounts. “My bank account had been hit away from Scotland somewhere. Thank God that City National Bank was able to recognize it and shut it down,” Hall said.
The scammers even compromised her email. “My whole entire email account was erased,” she added.
But, she tells 2 News the most devastating incident occurred when an officer tried to arrest her for a warrant out of Marshall County for a crime involving a child. “The lady asked me in the sheriff’s department what my birth date was, but she said, ‘This is not you, it’s a totally different birth date, but it’s got your information,’” Hall said.
Hall believes her identity theft issues started with a stolen computer containing her personal data. After reporting the theft to Tulsa police, she said and, “I notified the FBI here in Tulsa, and the agent was very nice. He took the time to help me file it on the government side with the Attorney General’s office. I filed there, and he told me to make sure that I looked at my credit report.”
To prevent additional misuse of her identity, she is also taking steps anyone should if they suspect their information is compromised.
- put a freeze on credit
- place a fraud alert on bank accounts
- closely monitors accounts to dispute any suspicious activity immediately
- if someone claiming to be a celebrity reaches out on social media -don't click on any links - and don't respond - instead hit delete and report
- report suspected identity theft to reportfraud.ftc.gov as well as to local police
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