Man Discovers Identity
Theft Through Billing

By Jon Mayhew (Lincolnton) -- A Highland Drive man discovers he's a victim of identity theft after he receives a large bill on a credit card where he isn't even a customer.

Police responded to his residence Tuesday afternoon around 1pm. Officer Dwayne McAllister said the victim received a letter in the mail stating he owed Capital One more than $1,100.

"He said he never had credit with Capital One and that someone must have used his name to obtain credit," said McAllister.

The victim also called the credit card company and they told him to file a police report.

Detectives are investigating the incident.

According to the Javelin Strategy & Research Center, identity theft is on the rise, affecting almost 10 million victims last year. Victims, meantime, are spending less money out of pocket to correct damage from identity theft, spending on average about $500. Most victims pay nothing due to zero-liability fraud protection programs offered by their respective financial institutions.

More than 70 percent of fraud happens within a week of a victim's personal data being stolen. Stolen wallets and physical documents accounted for 43 percent of all identity theft, while online methods only accounted for about 11 percent of identity theft.

HOME