Thousands of Americans experience identity theft each year — and when a bad actor starts using your information, there’s no telling what they’ll do with it.
Identity thieves put victims’ names on all sorts of fraudulent accounts, such as credit cards and loans.
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The fraud can also involve cellphone service, as one Florida man, who’s nearing his birthday, discovered earlier this year.
Mike Battista of Tarpon Springs, northwest of Tampa, was sent a cellphone bill from Verizon after someone used his information to open a new account. Even though he immediately reported the issue to the company, Verizon denied his fraud claim and still expected him to pay the bill left by the fraudster.
That’s when he reached out to a local news station for help resolving this issue.
Verizon denies Florida man’s fraud claim
Battista, a retired law enforcement officer with 28 years of experience, found an unexpected phone bill in his mailbox.
The bill, which contained his name, address and personal information, was for $198.30. It reflected the purchase of a new phone and a new phone line through Verizon.
Not only did Battista not approve this new phone line; he isn’t even a Verizon customer.
He went to the local Verizon store in Tarpon Springs to sort things out.
“They said they couldn’t do anything,” Battista said. “I had to go to a corporate store.”
At a second Verizon store, he was told no when he tried to close the account. From there, he immediately filed a fraud claim with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. After submitting his police report and fraud details to Verizon, he was shocked when they denied his claim.
In a letter to Battista, Verizon said, “We are unable to substantiate your claim that this account was opened without your knowledge or consent.”
Running out of options, Battista contacted a local news channel, ABC Action News. A consumer investigative reporter, Susan El Khoury, contacted Verizon about the issue. On the next day, Battista received an email resolving the claim.
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How to protect yourself from identity theft
Identity theft can wreak havoc on your financial life. Unfortunately, reporting identity theft to a company doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have the issue resolved. Companies don’t have a financial obligation to victims of identity theft.
But if you are impacted by identity theft, seeking recourse with the company is a valid option. In the best-case scenario, the company will not expect you to pay for purchases made by a fraudster.
However, if the company doesn’t waive your responsibility to pay for the purchases, consider reaching out to a consumer protection group, like the Federal Communications Commission (FTC) or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to file a complaint about the situation. If you want more help, even your local police station may offer guidance.
Battista’s recommendation for anyone going through a similar situation: “If something doesn’t seem right, mention it to somebody, never surrender.”
But, of course, preventing identity theft before it happens is ideal.
One way to stop fraudsters is to freeze your credit with the three credit bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian.
“It just takes a few minutes to request to freeze your credit report, and then if you decide that you need to open new credit yourself, you can unfreeze it,” said Anna Marie Fiallos, an investigator and outreach coordinator with Pinellas County Office of Consumer Protection, to ABC Action News.
Additionally, take measures to protect your personal information. Never share details about your finances with anyone over the phone, online, or via email. If possible, shred documents with sensitive information before throwing them away.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
