Michigan Woman Believed to Be Impersonating Dead Roommate
A Michigan Woman is Being Charged with Identity Theft, Among Other Things
Wayne County, Michigan Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy issued the ironic charges on Friday.
"It is unconscionable that this defendant [Christina Nicole Tracy] would impersonate her deceased roommate in an effort to steal money from her father," said Worthy to the Detroit News.
Nineteen-year-old Ashley Ann Pierce died on February 17th, 2007 due to a drug overdose. Tracy, the woman being charged, contacted Ashley's father five times in an effort to obtain money. Tracy allegedly tricked the father into believing she was his daughter hoping to get her hands on $1,600 to purchase drugs.
Apparently impersonating the dead is not an uncommon practice. In fact, it is reported that death makes you an even more attractive target by identity thieves. Although Tracy did not go into such extremes such as combing obituaries and stealing death certificates, it has been done before.
"Criminals have known for years that assuming the identity of a deceased person buys them some time," said Diane Terry to MSN.
If you feel one of your deceased loved ones is the victim of an identity theft, immediately request a copy of his/her credit report. In addition to requesting a copy of the credit report, alert Social Security of the theft.
Unfortunately in the case previously mentioned, the family never had the chance to contact creditors to alert them of their daughter's death. However, it is not recommended to leave obituary notes because it simply provides potential thieves with a huge head start, which is the last thing anybody needs.
In the case in Michigan, Tracy, 28, will be arraigned by video on Saturday at the 34th District Court in Romulus. She is being charged with five counts of identity theft, which is a five-year felony and/or $25,000 fine.In addition to the five counts of identity theft, Tracy is being charged with three counts of larceny by false impersonation of two-hundred-dollars or more. Tracy is facing up to a $500.00 fine and/or 93 days in jail, if convicted.
Immediately contact one of the following fraud assistance phone numbers if you feel your deceased loved one is the victim of identity theft:
* TransUnion: (800) 680-7289
* Experian: (888) 397-3742
* Equifax: (888) 766-0008
* Identity Theft Resource Center: (858) 693-7935
Published by Brian
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- During the three weeks, nearly $2,000 was extorted from the deceased woman's father.
- On Saturday, Tracy will be arraigned via video at the Romulus 34th District Court.
1 Comments
Post a CommentGreat job of reporting and providing useful information to the public. I wrote an article about this very practice some months ago, and it happens far more often than people realize. Of course, the case of someone extorting money while their roommate's body lies on the floor of the apartment is quite an extreme case. Great article.