Forum: Off Topic

Thread (Discussion): Sometimes, identity theft is all too familiar

The 8-year-old Milwaukee boy hopped in his father's car after school and announced he needed $202 to pay a We Energies bill that had arrived with his name on it. He figured he had received the bill because he had watched so much TV and never paid for it.

What really happened was the boy's mother had fallen behind in her utility bill, had her service disconnected and then put the account in his name, stealing her son's identity, said Kurt Roussell, coordinator of revenue protection for We Energies, who handled the case.

Such children sometimes don't learn that they have been victimized by their parents until they turn 18 and try to get credit cards, rent apartments or take out loans - discovering then that their credit is badly damaged, but still usually reluctant to prosecute their parents.

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