Report Identity Theft: Wrong First
Someone can steal your name, and you can end up in jail for it. You go in to report it, and the police arrest you. That's what happened to William Woods in Los Angeles. He sat in jail for more than a year. Your bank asks you the same questions today. You're going to learn how to make sure you stay the victim. Would your bank believe you tonight?
William Woods spent 428 days in jail. And he'd only gone in to report a crime.
CBS News covered his story in April 2024. In 2019, Woods walked into a bank. He went in to report that someone had stolen his name.
Woods had two real documents in his hand. But the bank still called the police.
His real papers didn't save him. And your papers wouldn't save you either. At a bank counter, your proof isn't enough.
A thief had been using his name for decades.
In August 2019, the bank manager asked Woods some questions. Woods couldn't answer them correctly. The police arrested him that same month.
The thief answered the bank's questions from Wisconsin. Then he faxed the police fake papers.
The thief told the bank one thing. He said nobody in California should touch his account. And Woods was the man in California.
Woods kept telling them who he really was. And a judge said he was mentally incompetent.
If this helps, a like and a subscribe help us keep it coming.
Telling the truth only made things worse for him. Every true answer he gave, they counted as a symptom.
Then they sent Woods to a hospital. There, they drugged him against his will. He spent 147 days in that hospital. On top of that, Woods lost 428 days in jail.
All 3 of your credit reports would look clean. You'd never see a false arrest on them. And nobody sends you an alert.
The police write down the first story they're told. In Woods's case, the police believed the bank.
In the end, Woods pleaded no contest. He was convicted of the theft of his own name.
CBS News laid out the whole case. Your bank's security questions are there to protect your money. Woods ended up in jail over those same questions.
The bank believed the thief's calm voice. The police believed the bank. Woods only had the truth on his side. The thief just got his story in first.
Don't start by going to the bank counter. Call the number that's printed on your own card.
Ask the bank's fraud team to freeze your account. Ask one of the credit bureaus to put a fraud alert on your name. Then file a report at IdentityTheft.gov.
With a fraud alert, lenders have to double-check that it's really you. If you freeze your credit, nobody can open a new account.
Read every line of each of your credit reports. Circle anything you don't recognize. Write down every name and every number. Then take it all to the police in a folder.
CaraComp wrote this up in more detail. CaraComp lists all 5 calls you should make, in order.
The thief sounded sure of himself. People believe someone who sounds that sure. But sounding sure isn't the same as being right.
Step outside and call your bank's fraud line. Tell them you came in to report a theft. Ask them for a copy of their notes.
In April 2024, a court cleared Woods. The thief, Matthew Keirans, was sentenced to 12 years. Keirans went to federal prison.
Your real ID won't save you on its own. If you file your paperwork first, you stay the victim.
Find the fraud number on your card. Save it in your phone tonight. And start a folder for every call you make.
A thief could use your name tomorrow. If they do, you'll call the right number first.
Every day we take one story like this and make it simple. Subscribe and tap the bell. Tomorrow's is free too. See you in today's briefing. If this helps, a like and a subscribe help us keep it coming.
