WARREN Identity-theft victim helps others avoid it

An identity theft occurs once every 35 seconds.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
WARREN -- There were two Ted Werns in the late 1990s, both with the same Social Security number and date of birth.
The Ted Wern who existed in police and credit records was a drunk driver with thousands of dollars in unpaid and overdue credit-card bills.
The real Ted Wern, however, was a law school student and 1993 Warren John F. Kennedy High School graduate who wanted his name and life back.
He was a victim of an identity thief who had stolen his name, Social Security number, and date of birth and was using it to make purchases on credit. The thief also had given Wern's Social Security number and date of birth to a police officer who had pulled him over for drunken driving, Wern said.
On Monday, Wern, 28, returned to JFK to talk about his experiences and ways to prevent identity theft. He's now a Chicago attorney and volunteer with the Identity Theft Resource Center, a San Diego-based nonprofit organization.
About 50 people attended the presentation.
Stolen identity
Wern said he believes his name, Social Security number and date of birth were stolen from his mail or garbage after his first year of law school. During the next three years, Wern worked to clear his name with police and creditors while he dealt with the emotional effects of the theft.
He recalled looking at his dirty carpet in his law school apartment and thinking about buying a carpet steamer.
Shortly thereafter, a bill collector called and said the identity thief had spent about $1,000 on two carpet steamers.
"I almost cried," Wern said. "I'm standing on dirty floors, and this guy and his buddy are probably cleaning their floors."
The thief was eventually arrested in central Ohio and sent to prison, Wern said.
"I was thrilled," he said. "I thought I was going to get my life back, and I did."
Spreading the word
Wern said he decided to use what he had learned about identity theft to help others after the thief went to jail. He cited studies showing that identity theft occurs once every 35 seconds and that it cost the American economy between $50 billion and $100 billion in 2002.
"We're talking about some serious numbers here," Wern said. "This is an epidemic, economically."
Wern told those in the audience Monday that they should check their credit reports once a year to ensure that thieves have not used their identity to open credit accounts. He added that if they do find that they're the victim of identity theft, they should call police and credit-reporting companies immediately.
Wern noted that credit-card companies are legally responsible for all charges made through fraud.
hill@vindy.com