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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.

Posted by aalkon at December 28, 2005 6:16 AM

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Comments

We ferget, didja get the car back?

Posted by: 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.

Posted by: 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.

Posted by: 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!

Posted by: 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.

Posted by: Fifi the Rottweiler at December 29, 2005 5:07 PM

Heh heh...I used it to death tracking these people down.

Posted by: 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. : )

Posted by: 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!

Posted by: 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!

Posted by: Rodger Jacobs at December 30, 2005 2:58 PM

Keep those biting remarks coming Rodger!

Posted by: 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

Posted by: Hand Picked Ringtone at May 12, 2007 4:31 AM

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