We’ve heard the saying, “It’s all in the family.” But does that extend to identities? Apparently, when your last name is “Outlaw” it does. Carlton Outlaw “borrowed” his brother’s identity to pay for a stay at a methadone clinic in Philadelphia. Outlaw used his brother’s VA Identification Card, but replaced the photo on it with his own. He gained $378,542 of medical benefits, and his brother was left holding the bag.
Fortunately, in this case, the victimized brother could easily identify the face on the fake ID police showed him. Fraudster Carlton Outlaw made a full confession about the identity theft to authorities and is now facing 18-24 months in jail.
It’s all too easy to steal a relative’s identity and use it for your own devices. Close family members and friends who have deceitful intentions can easily gain access to all of your critical, sensitive identifying information. They may even share your last name, making fraud even easier for them. Exercise some caution when it comes to sharing your identity credentials, like Social Security number, credit cards, and passwords, with friends and family who are close to you, especially if they share your last name.
At the same time, being constantly suspicious of loved ones is not the answer. While there is no real way to prevent familial identity theft, you can be proactive about checking your credit report regularly for signs of strange debts. Don’t wait until debt collectors are knocking on your door or garnishing your wages (which is what happened to the victim in the Outlaw case).
Consider signing up for a credit monitoring and identity protection service. Many of these services are readily available on the internet and offer access to your credit reports and scores from all three bureaus. You can also sign up for alerts so you know instantly about important changes in your credit history, such as new account openings, unauthorized credit checks, and address changes. Some monitoring services even keep an eye out for illicit use of your identity credentials, so you’ll know when your credit card numbers and Social Security numbers are being used or traded on the internet.
Judas Priest – Breaking The Law
Determine if the argument is valid or invalid. Give a reason for the answer.?
Determine if the argument is valid or invalid.
