Background: The company I work for provides an online account-based service which is very niche. It would be unusual, though not entirely out of the realm of possibility, for two people in the same household to legitimately be interested in what we provide. Account creation is generally self-service, and unmonitored by any human.
All details changed to protect the guilty.
Donald Smith creates an account today. Email address [donald82stacey85@](mailto:donald82stacey85@)…, date of birth 1982, lives at
.A few minutes later Stacey Rogers creates an account [smithstacey82@](mailto:smithstacey82@)… date of birth 1985, lives at .
Donald calls up and says his wife is having a problem with her account, her email is [smithstacey82@](mailto:smithstacey82@)… Not a problem, I forced a logout on her end and when she signed back in all was good.
About 5 minutes later, another new account is created: Jennifer Batali, email [staceydonald85@](mailto:staceydonald85@)… date of birth 1982, lives at .
A minute later, another! Jeff Cooper, email [smithrogers82@](mailto:smithrogers82@)… date of birth 1985, lives at .
Donald calls up again and says his friend is having a problem with her account. I explain she failed automatic verification and in order to complete the account she would need to provide X and Y. Y could be this, that, this other thing, or that other thing. However, before I could get through listing the possibilities that Y could be, he hung up on me.
Now I know something’s up. I start reviewing the recent accounts. 4 accounts from 2 apartments next door to each other? Hmm. Next door neighbors have their neighbors’ names and dates of birth in their email addresses? As if! Ok, three of the accounts are obviously fraudulent and cases of identity theft. I close all four accounts.
Not two minutes later Donald calls up demanding to know why his account is blocked.
Me: “Your account, and the accounts belonging to your “wife” and “neighbors” have all been locked for fraud and identity theft.” (Yes, I did the air-quote emphasis in my voice when I said “wife” and “neighbors”.)
Donald: “How’s it identity theft?”
Me: “Four accounts, from two next door apartments, all accounts using email addresses with variations on you and “your wife’s” names and dates of birth? How stupid do you think we are? The three other accounts are closed permanently. If your deposit clears our bank, your account will be unlocked, however it will remain locked until that deposit settles.”
Donald muttered something I didn’t catch and hung up. Obviously were he, his “wife”, and his “neighbors” legitimate, he’d be screaming bloody murder. Not muttering something under his breath and hanging up like a little bitch.
random_roverandom +1, fraudster -4.
submitted by /u/random_roverandom
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