3 residents say they were victims of identity theft

Services were obtained with Social Security numbers, reports show.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Three city residents are the latest victims of identity theft.
A West Hylda Avenue woman who contacted Ohio Edison about having service at a new residence was told that she owed $450 to the electric company for a house in the 150 block of Glenaven Avenue. The woman, who filed a police report, said she never lived at the Glenaven house.
Ohio Edison said the woman's Social Security number was used for the billing, reports show.
The woman encountered a similar problem when she contacted a gas company and was told she had past-due bills of $457 for not only the Glenaven address but also for a house on East Laclede Avenue, police said.
The woman said she lost her state identification card in 2003 and told police the card was possibly used to acquire the utilities.
Owes more than $1,000
A West Princeton Avenue man, meanwhile, told police that someone used his identification to obtain electric service at a house on Elm Street in 1998, when he lived out of town. The man was informed by the utility company that he owes $1,070.
The third victim, a Mariner Avenue man, told police that he received a letter from the Social Security Administration about disability checks dating back to January 2003. The man said he applied for disability but didn't complete the paperwork and hasn't received any checks.
He, too, believes his Social Security number was used and someone has been forging his name to the checks, police said.
All three cases were turned over to detectives this week.