by Charles Miller

Someone asked me, "Exactly what is identity theft?" One thing for sure is that it is a big problem if it happens to you. And as I will soon explain, it is potentially a very painful problem for the thief who gets caught. Searching for an easily-understood example, I told the questioner about a real-life experience from the streets of San Miguel de Allende.

Ruben the taxicab driver (not his real name) decided to try some 21st century marketing to see if it could be to his benefit. It was 2006 when he discovered Google Translate and realized that his inability to speak English need not be a barrier preventing him from corresponding by email with new customers. He found a high school student to create a simple website on one of the no-cost web hosts. Next he printed up business cards listing his email and website, and began handing them out to riders. He also invested his time in visiting local hotels with stacks of his cards advertising that he could provide transport to and from nearby airports. Google Translate made it simple for him to communicate effectively with anyone who emailed him.

His efforts soon bore fruit. Some days he had more fares than he could handle, and needed help from family members who were also taxi drivers. Business was good, until suddenly it was not. One day he realized he was no longer able to log into his Hotmail account, and thus no longer getting any new business.

Ruben mistakenly believed that his business was all inside his computer, and that his computer was not working. That is why he called me. I assured him that even if his computer died, his business would continue because his web site and his email were in "the cloud." It quickly became apparent to me that the reason Ruben could not reset his Hotmail password was because someone had changed his date-of-birth, phone number, etc. When I found that was also the case with his for-free website, I had reason to suspect Ruben had been the victim of identity theft.

To verify my hunch, I phoned a buddy of mine up in Texas asking if he would try to email Ruben to arrange an airport pickup a few days hence. My friend in Texas soon let me know that he had received an email from Ruben confirming the date, except I knew that Ruben had never received or answered that email from my friend. For sure, someone had stolen Ruben's identity and the thief, possibly another taxi driver, was now pretending to be Ruben and stealing Ruben's fares.

With my suspicions confirmed, I met with the real Ruben to explain the entire situation, and give him a printout of the email the thief had sent to my friend in Texas. I outlined how Ruben might find out who was stealing his fares if he went to the airport at the appointed time and looked for one of his competitors holding a sign with the name "Blackwell" on it. That person would probably be the thief who had stolen Ruben's identity, his Hotmail account, and website. I suggested Ruben should then call the police to show them the reservation my friend Mr. Blackwell had made with the thief who was pretending to be Ruben.

"No!" Ruben interrupted. "NO POLICE... when I go to the airport I'll take my brothers with me. We'll handle it."

One might be tempted to think one taxi driver stealing another driver's fare is a trivial matter; but the thief, confronted by several angry brothers, might disagree. Most stories of stolen identity do not have happy endings. More often than not the unknown thief disappears with all the funds that had been in your bank account, or buys a new car using your credit, diving off leaving you to fend off the bill collectors.

Be sure to come back next week when I plan to offer just a few suggestions for what you might want to consider doing to make yourself less vulnerable to identity theft.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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