this little piggy had his identy stolen! Original Article Ex-Chandler police chief victim of identity theft By Chris Markham, Tribune January 29, 2006 Former Chandler Police Chief Bobby Joe Harris knew something was fishy when he started having problems with his Sams Club membership credit card. Store clerks and managers told him he had closed the account and opened a new one that included a womans name he didnt recognize. But there was good news, the store clerk said. There had been no purchases made on the new account. Harris and his wife decided to do some checking on their own and found someone had bought four computers, two TVs and various other items totaling more than $11,000 at a handful of Valley Sams Club and Wal-Mart stores. So now Im a little on the upset side, Harris said while ruffling through his stack of credit and police reports relating to his case that hes collected so far. Somehow, someone had been able to add themselves to the account Harris had only used twice since he opened it seven years ago to take advantage of the stores 10 percent discount offer. The account is closed now and fraud alerts have been placed in the couples files at credit reporting agencies. He doesnt expect to have to pay for the fraudulent purchases, but wonders how bad things could have become if they had not bothered to do some checking on their own. Im one of the lucky ones, Harris said. Im a retired police officer. I know the ins and outs. And my wife is a retired bank manager. That expertise, however, couldnt prevent the couple from becoming victims of identity fraud. Chandler police said Friday at least one unidentified woman added herself to the accounts of Harris and one other victim and spent more than $30,000 on laptop computers, MP3 players and TVs at various Sams Club stores. Police dont know how the woman was able to gain access to the account, said Chandler detective Livi Kacic. A Sams Club spokesman declined to comment on the case, referring questions to Chandler police. In the meantime, Harris is taking steps to further protect himself from identify fraud and theft. He wasnt careless to begin with. He shredded documents before discarding them and didnt leave mail in the mailbox overnight all precautions law enforcement officials recommend to guard against identity theft and identity fraud. Now, Harris also has subscribed to a consumer-protection service based in Scottsdale that guarantees protection from identity theft. LifeLock began operations last April and already has about 60,000 clients. The important thing we tell people is its very important for you to take control, said LifeLock vice president Mike Prusinski. The company places fraud alerts with every credit-reporting bureau and restricts any attempts to make changes or open new credit card accounts. And the company promises to reimburse all expenses incurred, up to $1 million, if a clients identity is stolen. Tips to help prevent identity theft Shred documents before throwing them away. Dont leave mail in your mailbox overnight. Check your credit reports at least once per year. Dont leave important documents in your car. Contact Chris Markham by email, or phone (480) 898-6486