Investigators say that Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen recently became one of the millions of Americans who have become
identity theft victims.
Officials arrested a 28-year-old former soldier for stealing the identity of Allen, one of the richest men in the world, according to a report from
The Associated Press.
Authorities told the AP that Brandon Lee Price called Citibank, pretending to be Allen and changing the mailing address for one of his accounts. He then later requested a duplicate debit card, saying the original had been lost.
Price then tried to use the card to make a wire transfer, pay off a bank loan and make some retail purchases. However the bank detected the fraud and stopped the transactions. Experts said celebrities may be even more vulnerable than most people to identity theft since much of their personal information is widely known.
"Clearly, it's a reminder that anyone can be a victim of this," David Postman, a spokesman for Allen, told the news source. "It certainly is a surprise and reason for everyone to make sure that all that stuff is properly cared for and monitored."
Identity Theft 911 Chief Information Security Officer
Ondrej Krehel regularly maintains a blog, which discusses issues such as
data breaches and information security.
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