My daughter is applying for her first driving licence. This is quite emotional for me for two reasons; firstly, it seems like only yesterday I was picking her up from nursery and secondly because the Driving Licence Application Form states that a Birth Certificate is no longer accepted as sole proof of identity. That’s because of me. I did that. I found a loophole in the application process – and was subsequently arrested in a dawn raid by Scotland Yard!
To briefly summarise my reason for carrying out this ‘crime’, years ago I had my identity stolen and as a result became penniless and homeless…
I was actually the first major victim of ID theft in the UK. I should probably be proud.
Years after this awful life-changing event I wrote a comedy show about it. Not something I would have expected to do at the time! This show received rave reviews and led to my being asked to speak at a number of Fraud and Security conferences around the world. The show also resulted in my being asked to make a television documentary on the subject.
In the documentary, HOW TO STEAL AND IDENTITY, I proved, through various methods, how easy the crime of ID theft is to carry out. I firstly went through someone’s rubbish at 1 o’clock in the morning. They had thrown away their bank statements, PIN and other personal information and, using this, I managed to open accounts in their name. I then set up a stall in a Shopping Centre in South Wales and told people that I could stop them from having their identity stolen if they gave me all their personal details. They did.
The other thing I did in the programme was to steal the identity of the British Home Secretary, by first obtaining a birth certificate and then a driving licence. Hence the change to the Driving Licence Form. And the arrest.
You can watch the documentary here…
I have now written a book about my whole experience. It explains what happened, how it happened, and how I managed to track down the person who stole my identity.
It also explains how making a television documentary ‘in the public interest’ can have devastating consequences.
I will be speaking about my story at Infosec on June 8th and I will be signing copies of my book.
If you’re not able to attend and would like a copy, then it’s available for Kindle or as a paperback on Amazon or direct from the publisher here: www.heardtheoneaboutidentitytheft.com
I hope you enjoy it. Whoever you are….
Bennett.
About Bennett Arron
Bennett Arron is an award-winning writer and stand-up comedian as well as a popular speaker on the subject of Identity Theft. See what Bennett’s up to at www.bennettarron.com
Follow Bennett on Twitter: @bennettarron