Even though movie industry has made more than a few exciting adventures of identity thieves, where the leading role is a lovable anti-hero, or perhaps even a regular hero with a really, really good explanation, the real life identity thieves aren’t that lovable or charming at all. People who would do that in real life are pretty much always dangerous sociopaths unless they’re just regular criminals with some sort of a plan that requires someone else’s identity. Stealing identities can only lead to ruining other people’s lives and reputations.
Identity thefts might be done for many reasons, some of which are understandable, even though they’re still illegal, but there are also some really strange and weird motivations to do this. Today, we’ve prepared you a list of five strangest things that were done with stolen identities.
1. The Dead Sea Scrolls Sock Puppet
A sock puppet may have been your favorite toy when you were a child, but on the Internet, it’s a term that is used for fake identities that are often used to bully or harass people, or at least to spend some time in pointless online arguments. The sock puppets usually have a fictional name, anything that would conceal writer’s real identity, like a mask that allows them to do whatever they want.
However, for our first entry, we’ve chosen a man who wanted his sock puppet to have credibility.
Raphael Golb, a son of one of the University of Chicago’s professors, wanted to help his father who had a theory about the Dead Sea Scrolls. The theory was, apparently, so unrealistic that he had become the subject of ridicule by many of the Dead Sea Scrolls scholars and researchers, including the professor Golb’s own University colleagues. And, like any loving and loyal son would do, Raphael hacked his father’s critics and stole their identities.
He then proceeded to use them to post several statements to support his father’s questionable theories. He also tried to humiliate his father’s detractors by creating fake emails in their names and sending embarrassing content to the press.
After the discovery of what he did, he was arrested for identity theft, criminal impersonation, and aggravated harassment.
2. The Fake Cheerleader
A woman from Wisconsin called Wendy Brown had an interesting idea after she started feeling depressed when her 15-year-old daughter had moved away.
This 33-year-old woman that had no high school diploma decided that it’s high time for that to change. She then proceeded to steal her daughter’s identity, go back to school in her stead and join the cheerleaders. She even managed to fool the coach, get her own locker at school, and get invited to a pool party.
After the discovery of who she really was, she got arrested and will be spending six years in prison for identity theft.
3. The Secret Agent
An unnamed man one day walked into a police station in Wichita, Kansas and claimed that he’s a secret agent that’s starting his undercover life in the neighborhood. He even told them a city resident’s name whose house he’ll be using. The police found this so strange and alarming that they immediately started researching this man.
Turns out that the “agent” had taken over the identity as well as the home of a man that was out of town, caring for his mother. The “agent” used the new identity to buy himself some new gadgets, take out his second mortgage and also throw a barbecue for his new neighbors. He was, of course, immediately arrested.
4. The Copycat Roommate
Finding the right roommate has always been and always will be quite a chore. It’s always like that when it comes to picking that right guy or girl that you’re gonna live with. However, most people usually don’t have problems like the ones that Brittany Ossenfort started having when she met Michelle, a girl that seemed perfect for her. They quickly became friends and Brittany soon asked Michelle to move in with her.
The strange things that soon started happening probably should have been a clue that something’s not exactly right with Michelle, though. For example, she started wearing the same clothes as Brittany. Michelle changed her hair to match her new roommate’s, and even got a matching tattoo. Brittany probably found this to be strange but, like a good roommate, she didn’t mention anything. That is until she got a call at work and was asked to bail herself out of jail.
Turns out that her new roommate had stolen Brittany’s ID and, after being arrested for prostitution, claimed that she’s the real Brittany. Further investigation discovered something even weirder, and that’s the fact that “Michelle’s” real name was Richard Phillips.
Despite this discovery, the arrest cannot be removed from Brittany’s record. She did, however, receive official paperwork that explains that she was the victim of identity theft if she’s ever arrested in the future.
5. A Very Busy Bride
A woman named Rosa Vargas was a blushing bride to be, she worked hard to organize her wedding and prepare everything for her special day. She had applied for the marriage license as soon as the date was known, and then she was shocked when the license was refused because she was already married to two other men.
An investigation revealed that her birth certificate, that was stolen when she was 16, was used several times over the years by other women. Those women had taken Rosa’s identity, mostly to commit immigration fraud. She finally managed to explain herself to the judge and get the other two marriages nullified.
Stealing identities is a serious crime, but it’s still happening quite a lot, and many people have had their identities stolen. Even famous people, including Steven Spielberg, Robert Deniro, Tiger Woods and several others, have had their identities stolen and used for various purposes. The worst thing is that even though you’re the victim in these situations, you’ll still be the one responsible for the crimes committed by the ones who robbed you of your name.
You must be careful and think hard to protect yourself, especially these days when online identity thefts are a common problem. Buying anti-virus and using complicated passwords is not enough. You must also be careful about what you share while using the social media. These websites are working with marketing companies and they share your information with them. That means that you should be extra careful what you post. It would be advisable to create and special email address for these websites.
Another thing you can do to protect yourself is to use VPNs such as TorGuard. These come in handy in many situations, especially if you’re using public networks. TorGuard VPN can encrypt your data, prevent malware attacks, mask your IP address and more.
Also, be very careful while downloading suspicious content or opening emails from unknown contacts. These methods of infiltrating are often used by hackers and cyber criminals. Anti-malware and anti-virus programs are also something that should never be overlooked, just like strong, random passwords that should not under any circumstances be repeated on different accounts.
When it comes to personal and sensitive documents, you should try to find the safest possible place to keep them, and always shred them before discarding them.
Identity theft is a serious crime, and it can have many difficult consequences. There are no easy solutions when it comes to this, and you might have some serious problems. The precautions listed above are only some of the things that you can do to protect your name and reputation, as well as your possessions.
