Fighting Identity Theft And Cancer
Great story from Dateline (produced by Susan Liebowitz and written by correspondent Josh Mankiewitz), recounted on MSNBC, about Eric Drew, a leukemia patient who pried himself out of his hospital bed, threw on a backpack of cancer drips, and tracked down his identity thief:
It turns out one thing chemo and radiation can’t kill is a Type A personality.
Go to the link -- you'll want to read every word. Very compelling story. It made a difference in my life. Apparently, I'm due to get $600 today from my car thief (part of the restitution he's supposed to be paying me monthly.) Here's his email about it:
Hello Amy, I dont know if you are in town or out of town. I have two money orders ready for you. Each for $300.00 Do you want me to send them to you home address in S.M. or do you want me to send them elsewhere?Please advise. I will send out the next day UPS on Wednesday 12/28/05.
SOrry for the delay.
These $600.00 will put me back on schedule as I said I would. SOrry for the late responce. THings have been pretty bussy around here and some of my finances have been a bit tight.
MOney order # 47261174807 $300.00
MOney order # 47261174796 $300.00
Now, I got the first check for $120 from my car thief in September, after I tracked his ass down on Google and left a message on his cell. (When he wasn't paying, I asked the City Attorney on the case to contact him and tell him to pay, and she said, "Oh, we can't do that." Then I asked her to give me his number. Same response. Ridiculous. So I let my fingers loose on Google, getting him to pay that first $120 after I tracked him down...and getting promises -- unkept, imagine that -- of future checks' arrival.) Well, after I saw this story about Eric Drew, I got mad and got tracking again. I found a posting cached on a Rambler site about a car he was selling, and sent an e-mail to the site owner suggesting that the guy had tried to sell my stolen car (to a classic car lot on Melrose)...perhaps he wasn't the most reliable advertiser?
Perhaps this is just a coincidence, since I have been e-mailing my thief from time to time that he'd better pay me, lest I write a letter to the judge for his court date in January...but it is a coincidence that leaves me feeling all warm, fuzzy, and in the holiday spirit nonetheless. In fact, it was so warm and fuzzy a feeling that I got even warmer and fuzzier, contacting the son of the guy who did a hit-and-run on my car and telling him I was on the verge of taking his dad to small claims court to collect on the hours I spent tracking his dad's slimey ass down...or they could...settle!
TO BE CONTINUED!
PS Eric Drew's foundation is here.
We ferget, didja get the car back?
Crid at December 28, 2005 10:30 AM
But, of course. (Maybe you're teasing me?) It was in terrible condition. Gone now. For a Rambler fanatic, the guy was pretty hard on my car.
Amy Alkon at December 28, 2005 11:02 AM
Naw, I couldn't remember the outcome. What comes to mind is the image of a stylish westside cappucino drinker shrieking at some punkass car thief in a stinky chop shop in the warehouse part of town.
Crid at December 28, 2005 11:27 AM
Actually, he lives on the east side, a couple of streets over from my former assistant and a couple of streets back from my current one. But you got the punkass part right!
Amy Alkon at December 28, 2005 11:51 AM
Great free site for tracking down deadbeats, ex-boyfriends who owe you money, and the like:
http://www.zabasearch.com/
Get phone numbers, addresses, etc.
Fifi the Rottweiler at December 29, 2005 5:07 PM
Heh heh...I used it to death tracking these people down.
Amy Alkon at December 29, 2005 5:10 PM
You, lady, are my heroine du jour( hell, du YEAR). As for comments suggesting your quest might be something less than admirable(unless I read 'em wrong), I say--eff that--you're a goddess. The whole lousy, stinking system is all about a big ol' "tough luck" to the victim; it's grimly satisfying that you're refusing to give in/up...keep at it. : )
Jen at December 29, 2005 5:44 PM
Naw, Crid and I do disagree on a number of topics, but I believe he's a big fan of justice -- especially the self-serve variety. And thanks for the supportive remark...will post more on this tomorrow!
Amy Alkon at December 29, 2005 7:12 PM
Amy chasing down her pink Rambler. A modern-day "Moby Dick" set in the cold heart of Los Angeles. It has Lifetime Movie written all over it. Let's do lunch.
Ciao!
Rodger Jacobs at December 30, 2005 2:58 PM
Keep those biting remarks coming Rodger!
Amy Alkon at December 30, 2005 3:41 PM
Parents have no right in spanking you - Or do they? That could be another persuasive speech topic
Hand Picked Ringtone at May 12, 2007 4:31 AM
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