My ex called yesterday to tell me about a bill from a large phone company for 4 iPhones (Pro Max - $1300 each) and the extra monthly service plan for gaming data, etc. This said it was the first bill (installment - about $700) and it was in his name to his address. All of yesterday was spent trying to file online, but there were dead ends and they require a police report. Police reports, even online, stop when you can't say where the theft occurred.

This morning I called a local storefront of that phone company and asked what I needed to bring in to set up a new account and get a couple of iPhones. They would do a credit report (so SSN), ID, proof of address, etc. But if the credit report was good enough, the rest wasn't needed. His report is spotless. I explained then why I was asking, and it turns out the store folks can put you in touch with a real person in the fraud dept. My ex came over and we called again - it was a 45 minute call that resulted in an email with a report number he can show if anyone tries to claim he owes for the phones, and it alerts the credit reporting bureaus. He's also set up a fraud alert himself. This ID fraud ripped off about $5000 worth of phones after paying the sales tax at the store. The one satisfying thing? Once she turned in that report, the account was closed and the phones bricked. Nothing will work once the company bricks the phone.

That's exciting enough for today!