Identity theft can threaten good credit

July 17, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK\Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA -- Wasilla resident Steven Parke, 50, discovered a disturbing message on his answering machine late last month.

An employee of a New Jersey-based collection agency said someone in New York had racked up a $5,000 credit-card bill, and when he ran the Social Security number, he came up with Parke's name.

The man leaving the message told Parke he knew it was a fraudulent case and asked Parke to file a police report so the collection agency could take action.

Luckily, the collection agency isn't pressuring Parke to pay the bill, nor has he lost any money.

However, his sense of financial safety has been threatened, and Parke hopes this incident won't mar his excellent credit record.

How can a victim of credit card identity theft mop up the financial mess left behind? How can a person salvage their good credit?

Al Strawn, general manager of Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union, said Saturday that a person should notify credit-reporting agencies after reporting the crime to law enforcement. Most companies have 1-800 numbers, he said.

"Let them know that you are disputing the bill," Strawn said, adding that keeping track of the steps you take to solve the credit issue is a good idea.

Parke said he's been logging all his phone calls, and keeping a meticulous journal of the incident. "I need to prove there was abuse of my Social Security card number," Parke said.

Parke reported the theft to the Alaska State Troopers on June 28. So far, Parke hasn't heard anything about the investigation. Nor has he heard anything about the case from the New Jersey credit agency. "I am desperately trying to follow it up," he said. "I think I have the right to know what he spent the money on when the investigation is complete."

Parke said he wonders if the thief will get jail time. He's also curious about what will keep the thief from using Parke's Social Security number in the future.

The name of the man accused of stealing from him sounded familiar to Parke. Parke remembered that the name of the person appeared in a pre-employment background check Parke did more than two years ago.

"I thought it was an anomaly," Parke said, so he didn't report it.

Parke realizes now that the thief must have had his Social Security card number at that time. He suspects the thief just made up a number and by the luck of the draw ended up with his.

An employee of a Valley collection agency, who did not want her name published, said a red flag should have gone up when the credit card company reviewed the application.

The credit card company should have checked the Social Security number against the name of the applicant. Also, the company -- or client -- should have provided the collection agency with a copy of the application. That way, they could possibly prove Parke didn't fill it out, she explained.

"Legally, I can't go after someone if that isn't the person who applied for the credit card," she said. "It would get thrown out of court."

Parke said he is going through a "hairy" time right now with this.

"And I'm trying to sell my house," Parke said. "It could have been worse. Someone could have drained my bank account."