By Ken Donnell
Special to Plumas News
Of all the problems which face those of us made refugees by the Dixie Fire, a new one can been added to our list … identity theft. The need to re-establish our identity after being displaced means we have been required to give out a lot of personal information to a wide array off agencies and businesses. Sadly, identity thieves are aware of this new trove of personal data, which may not be perfectly protected.
A Greenville friend, Nancy Presser, reports that when she was in evacuation, and desperately searching for accommodations anywhere in the area, she stumbled across an apartment, in Chico, which was listed for rent by an online company, at a very good price. The responses to her email messages were very sympathetic and kindly, but emphasized the need for her to act quickly. She immediately provided critical personal information on her application in hopes of securing this “bargain apartment.”
Nancy was smart enough to ask a friend who lived in Chico to drive by the address of this rental unit, and her friend reported that “yes this location was for rent, but it is listed with a different company than the one you contacted.” Nancy immediately sensed the scam, and put a fraud warning on all of her credit information. She summed up her experience by saying, “These people knew I was desperate, and tried to prey upon that desperation.”
Identity theft hit home to me personally when I…
