WAXHAW, N.C. — A Waxhaw couple says someone stole their identities and now they’re having trouble undoing the damage.
Nicole Prendergast does hair, and her husband, Jamie, does horticulture. But these days, they have another job that’s practically full-time.
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“I feel like I’m Tom Hanks in ‘Catch Me If You Can.’ I’m one step behind and I can’t keep up,” Nicole told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke.
They don’t know how it happened but somehow, someone stole their personal information and got into a lot of mischief in their names, including:
- Applied for credit cards, health insurance, and medical assistance.
- Purchased a $50 gift card.
- Tried to get into their Facebook and mortgage accounts.
“I won’t say it was comical, but it was like, every day was like [something new],” Jamie said. “She’d send me a text message and I’m like, ‘Oh great, what did we apply for now? What are we getting hit with now?’”
They say the most stressful part was that they had an auto loan for their Jeep at Fifth Third Bank and they think the thief somehow closed that account and opened a new one with Capital One. It’s not clear why a criminal would do that or how either bank would allow it, but the Prendergasts say they ran into problems undoing it.
“We’re the victims, but we’re being treated like we’re the criminals,” Nicole said.
Plus, they say the new loan payments would be more each month and with a higher interest rate. They worried that if they refused to pay, Capital One would repossess the Jeep.
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Stoogenke emailed both banks. Fifth Third wouldn’t say much, just that it didn’t find any fraud on its end.
Capital One told Action 9 it is “actively working on a resolution for the customer.” And it did. The Prendergasts say it offered them 0% interest on the Jeep loan. Obviously, that doesn’t solve all their problems, but it did solve a big one.
The couple say they filed a police report and notified other government agencies and officials as well.
If someone steals your identity, the North Carolina Attorney General offers advice on its website.
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