Articles
What kind of emotional torture did this identity theif cause her victim's family?
by Cheryl Baumgartner Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance In 1999 Brooke Henson disappeared. She resurfaced soon after that and took the SAT and applied to both Harvard and Columbia Universities and briefly attended both as confirmed by the schools. The only problem, Brooke Henson was in reality, Esther Reed.When the real Brooke Henson disappeared, Esther Reed some how got hold of her personal information and stole her identity. In 2006 Brooke's family received miraculous news, Brooke was alive and well in NYC. Imagine the joy and relief they felt, only to learn that it was an imposter.
This is a classic Ghosting, a little known and archaic form of identity theft. Esther Reed faces charges of aggravated identity theft and wire fraud in the state of South Carolina. Hopefully she will get a stiff sentence. Sometimes there are more victims than the person whose identity gets stolen.
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About Cheryl Baumgartner 
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
1,142 connections, 69 recommendations, 4,101 honor points.Joined APSense since, May 18th, 2007, From San Antonio, TX, United States.
Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.
Comments
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David Schupbach
 Some, tho not all, of the id theft epidemic can be traced directly to the governments efforts to invade every shred of our privacy. Feb 7th 2008 13:31 |
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Cheryl Baumgartner
Medical Billing/Coding/InsuranceThis is true, and consider how many people go missing in a year. But what got to me about this one was thinking how I would feel not knowing never having any closure. Knowing your child is dead but still clinging to that ray of hope. Then after so many years of uncertainty to get word that your child has been found alive and well. Imagine the joy they got at hearing that followed by the devastation of finding out it is someone who has victimized your child. Personally I would completely snap. Feb 7th 2008 17:46 |
How many others are walking around out there as 'Ghosts"? This phenomenon, along with so many strange disappearances, is not a coincidence, Cheryl...
A lot of these "Ghost" Identity buyers may be participants in a growing string of kidnaps and even murders, just for a new ID... Chills are what come at the thought of this, it's much easier to use a false ID, when the person who actually owns it... Is not around to protest.
Feb 7th 2008 13:27