After a former manager swiped Jaimee’s personal information and used it to open several credit card accounts, the Omaha resident not only tracked down the crook that stole her identity but also started a successful campaign to enact new privacy laws in Nebraska.
Jaimee’s ordeal with identity theft began in 2005 after a call from Discover credit card services tipped her off to a fraudulent application filed in her name. More calls and research by Jaimee unearthed more fraudulent applications filed with other credit card companies. She took action and stopped the applications from being processed, alerted the authorities and kept a close eye on her credit files.
The break in her case came after she obtained a copy of one of the credit card applications, and identified the address on it as the residence of a former co-worker. Jaimee notified the detective assigned to her case, and the crook, whom Jaimee later found out was a known meth-addict with a history of fraud and other associated charges, was arrested.
After the arrest, Jaimee decided to push Nebraska lawmakers for stronger identity theft protections so other consumers wouldn’t have to deal with the anguish and frustration she while felt cleaning up the mess associated with the crime. She started her own website (www.idtheftne.org) which focuses on educating consumers about identity theft and works with consumer advocates and groups to enact new stringent identity theft laws in Nebraska.
Recently, she helped pass a bill in the state legislature which would require companies to notify consumers if their private information has been compromised. Next, Jaimee is encouraging other concerned citizens to make Nebraska one of a handful of states that allow consumers to place security freezes on their credit files. “Maybe the lawmakers will pay more attention with 2,000 people saying ‘I want identity theft legislation,” Jaimee says.