DON’T BE A VICTIM!
Watch out for Identity Theft

Ross Bulla talks about identity theft and how to prevent it at the monthly Wayne's Feast meeting in Denver Friday.

By Jon Mayhew

DENVER – As many as 10 million Americans per year are the victims of identity theft, with as much as half the victim’s discovering they are victims within three months.

East Lincoln resident Ross Bulla is all too familiar with the hot-button topic of identity theft.

He’s had two corporate checks stolen, where the checks have been washed. The amount – and other information – were replaced.

His advice is simple: don’t be a victim. In the case of check fraud, the type of ink used can make the difference between keeping and losing thousands of dollars.

“Use a gel-based or Uniball pen because the ink actually bleeds into the paper,” said Bulla, president of The Treadstone Group in Denver. “There’s also no reason whatsoever to have your driver’s license or social security number on your check, as well as your phone number.”

Seniors are especially vulnerable to the scams of identity theives. More than 10 million Americans are victims of identity theft each year.

Bulla was the keynote speaker at the March “Wayne’s Second Friday Feast,” which is held the second Friday of each month at Capt’n Pete’s Restaurant on Highway 150 in Denver.


He talked about the two types of identity theft and the ease at which information could be obtained.

Bulla also talked about an instance of identity theft where the suspect ran up more than $100,000 in credit card debt.

“The suspect also bought three homes, firearms and eventually filed for bankruptcy,” said Bulla. “It took the victim four years and about $15,000 to get the matter resolved.”

Bulla said these thieves go on spending sprees, file false loan applications and even give false information to police in times of trouble.

Identity thieves have also been known to use information to have medical procedures, only to “skip out” on paying the bill, leaving the victims in financial straits – and possibly in danger.

“Some hospitals have demanded payment in advance before the identity theft victims have procedures done,” said Bulla. “This practice happens regularly.”

The age of the Internet has proven a helpful tool for both identity thieves and the law enforcement dedicated to helping catch cyber-criminals.

To prove the point of how easy it is to obtain someone’s information for identity theft, Bulla chose Wayne’s Feast co-coordinator Celia Deese as a test case.

With her permission, Bulla told the crowd he researched Deese. What he found out only took about 10 minutes.

“I found out where she’s lived, what organizations she’s involved in, who she’s married to, and the fact she’s over Wayne’s Feast,” said Bulla to the astonished crowd. “I also obtained her brother’s name, as well as other personal information.”

Deese said she was shocked.

“I didn’t know (getting personal information) could be done so quickly,” said Deese.

Her husband, Paul, meantime, wasn’t surprised at the findings.

“I’m just glad they didn’t research me,” laughed Paul Deese.

For more information on identity theft, visit the Web site www.treadstonegroup.com or call Ross Bulla at 704.489.8663. For more information on Wayne’s Second Friday Feast, call Paul and Celia Deese at 704.483.4355.