It乌鸦传媒檚 been two years since Brighton MacDonald乌鸦传媒檚 truck was stolen and recovered, but the White Rock man continues to be haunted by the crime.
Last week, the 24-year-old found himself in handcuffs for 30 minutes after police took him briefly into custody, apparently believing he was breaching a driving ban.
The officer who pulled him over on 176 Street at 24 Avenue May 1 乌鸦传媒渁sked me my name and I told him my name, and he says, 乌鸦传媒楴o, what乌鸦传媒檚 your other name?乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕 MacDonald told Peace Arch News.
乌鸦传媒淗e pulls me out in the middle of rush hour, he put handcuffs on me and tossed me in the back of a cop car.乌鸦传媒�
Surrey RCMP Cpl. Elenore Sturko confirmed Wednesday that MacDonald乌鸦传媒檚 name 乌鸦传媒渉as been used as an alias by another individual who is known to police.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淎fter doing police checks, the officers were able to confirm (MacDonald乌鸦传媒檚) identity,乌鸦传媒� Sturko said.
MacDonald said police told him 乌鸦传媒渢hey essentially were trying to make sure I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 (this other individual).乌鸦传媒� And, he was told, a note has now been put on file 乌鸦传媒渢o make sure that this inconvenience doesn乌鸦传媒檛 happen again.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚s that enough for me? I don乌鸦传媒檛 know. I want them to catch the guy,乌鸦传媒� he said.
According to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, identity theft can occur through a variety of channels, and cause victims all manner of grief, from financial loss to difficulty obtaining credit.
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MacDonald said he乌鸦传媒檚 been fortunate so far that he hasn乌鸦传媒檛 been stuck with any unexpected bills as a result of his truck乌鸦传媒檚 theft. He said the Ford F250 was found two days after it was stolen, none the worse for wear, save for the fact his insurance papers and wallet were missing.
Evidence the documents were used for nefarious purposes started to appear about six months later, and included contact from New Westminster police, who found someone carrying MacDonald乌鸦传媒檚 credit card.
Fraudulent bank and cellphone accounts, and even evidence of a Costco membership followed.
乌鸦传媒淚 received a bunch of stuff in the mail. I received a debit card乌鸦传媒� for an account I never opened. I received letters from Costco saying it乌鸦传媒檚 time to renew your membership, and I don乌鸦传媒檛 have one.乌鸦传媒�
MacDonald said he has contacted agencies including credit bureau Equifax to report the theft, and his credit has been 乌鸦传媒渞ed-flagged乌鸦传媒� as a result.
He said he wants others to be aware of what can happen, and the lasting impact identity theft can have.
乌鸦传媒淭wo years later, to have that incident happen on (May 1),乌鸦传媒� he said.
乌鸦传媒淚 was so blown away by what was happening.乌鸦传媒�
Anyone who suspects they are a victim of identity theft is advised to contact police, their financial institution and credit card company, as well as Equifax (1-800-465-7166), TransUnion Canada (1-877-525-3823) and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501). For more information, visit
tholmes@peacearchnews.com
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