Here’s something new to worry about if you become the victim of identity theft: Somehow, a thief ordered a new cell phone through a replacement insurance policy after getting identity information from a Darien victim.
The victim, who just moved into a new home a month ago, told Darien police at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13 that she received an email saying someone had placed an order for a cell phone on her Verizon account at 2:27 p.m.
She immediately contacted Verizon to cancel the order. But that didn’t work. At 6 p.m., she received another email indicating that the phone had been delivered.
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See also:
- Strange Report of Unusual Cell Phone Theft (Nov. 17)
- Phone Stolen at Dunkin Donuts, Tracked to Area of Dubois St (Nov. 20)
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It was discovered that because the identity thief had her Social Security number, the thief was able to override her cancellation and have the phone delivered — to the DoubleTree Hotel in Norwalk.
The victim’s home address was used as the “billing address” in the order (although it’s unclear what she may have been billed for if the phone was purportedly ordered as a replacement under an insurance policy).
The victim told police she hadn’t noticed being victimized by any other instances of identity theft.
Police officers, according to a Nov. 13 police report, were looking into Federal Express records of the phone delivery, and the matter is under investigation by police detectives.