"She who steals my good name..." (Wizbang)

Identity theft is a huge problem these days. But sometimes the problems are worse for the thief, when they choose the wrong identity to steal.

One classic story was about a guy who, before he moved across the country, stole his neighbor's ID to avoid some minor legal issues. When he was pulled over for a moving violation, he was promptly arrested for being an unregistered sex offender. To get out of that jam, he had to not only confess his crime to the police, but convince them of it as well.

And this morning, I found one that almost matches that one.

Some person in Texas wanted a new computer, so he called up Dell and ordered a fairly high-end machine. To pay for it, he used a stolen credit card number.

Unfortunately for the thief, the card in question belonged to one Martha Coakley of Medford, Massachusetts. It's unlikely that very many people outside of New England would know that name, and even outside of the Bay State she's not a household name.

But in her home state, she's known as "Madame Attorney General."

Massachusetts has a well-earned reputation for being soft on criminals, but something tells me this particular miscreant will end up having the book thrown at them.

Credits

Section Editor: Maggie Whitton

Editors: Jay Tea, Lorie Byrd, Kim Priestap, DJ Drummond, Michael Laprarie, Baron Von Ottomatic, Shawn Mallow, Rick, Dan Karipides, Michael Avitablile, Charlie Quidnunc, Steve Schippert

Emeritus: Paul, Mary Katherine Ham, Jim Addison, Alexander K. McClure, Cassy Fiano, Bill Jempty, John Stansbury, Rob Port

In Memorium: HughS

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Comments (5)

Im sure she'll consider thi... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by Gianni | January 19, 2007 2:20 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Gianni:

Im sure she'll consider this a greater threat to the locals than say, 1000's of illegals, or child molesters.

Posted on January 19, 2007 14:20

I don't know Jay, or Gianni... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by Steve Crickmore | January 19, 2007 3:37 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Steve Crickmore:

I don't know Jay, or Gianni She said the chances of catching the crook - even for the state's top prosecutor - are slim to none, since even if they could link it to a person, jurisdictional issues would likely hamper an effort to prosecute.
The Attorney-General doesn't exactly seem a proponent of 'zero tolerance' for crime.

Posted on January 19, 2007 15:37

ID thieves deserve 20 years... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by spurwing plover | January 19, 2007 5:51 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

spurwing plover:

ID thieves deserve 20 years in prison

Posted on January 19, 2007 17:51

About 20 years ago we were ... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by LibraryLady | January 19, 2007 9:29 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

LibraryLady:

About 20 years ago we were transferred from Germany to Kansas. We went into a major department store to buy a microwave. When my husband gave them his credit card, the clerk glanced at him and said "One moment please". She came back with security and we were shocked to discover that the mayor of Kansas City and my husband had the exact same name, down to unusual spellings!

It all ended just fine!

Posted on January 19, 2007 21:29

"(T)his particular miscrean... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by BlogDog | January 20, 2007 8:40 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

BlogDog:

"(T)his particular miscreant" would have to have the book thrown at "him or her," not "them."
I really didn't expect you to use the politically correct wording.

Posted on January 20, 2007 08:40

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