Listening to R&R, and I just heard Mike Rutherford's Dad (Glen) call in about the unfortunate circumstances of an ex-CJ staffer by the name of Bob White. Old farts like me can remember Mr. White's articles many years ago about local high school sports.
What Glen just said on the air was that Bob has been, in essence, the victim of identity theft. And that he's wiped out. Evidently involved his house and mortgage, and no mention of the perpetrator. My thinking was that with a name like "Bob White", he was ripe for the picking. I then went to his Go Fund Me page which I googled. It appears that his son was somehow the thief. And the background info goes on to say that Bob has indeed lost everything. Go to this link if you want the details.
It mentions "debt in his name" and a prospect of bankruptcy. That can't legitimately happen by somebody stealing your identity. You're not legally responsible for any debt that you don't sign up for. My guess is that this is not entirely identity theft. What I think people are being led to believe is that Bob had no knowledge of anything going on. And I'll further speculate that he went into guarantees of sorts with his deadbeat son that are now landing in his lap.
If anyone knows more about this and can correct my misinterpretation, please do so. And I'll retract or amend everything I've said.
Many people in this world are victims. Some are completely innocent, but many are victims of their own stupidity, gullibility, and/or generosity. We all need to fully understand exactly what's going on when we're approached for a charitable cause. I feel bad for Mr. White almost like I would for my 85-year old mother in the same predicament. But she knows better than to blindly trust people, even people she knows and loves like 'zipp'. Bob White may have learned that lesson the hard way...
What Glen just said on the air was that Bob has been, in essence, the victim of identity theft. And that he's wiped out. Evidently involved his house and mortgage, and no mention of the perpetrator. My thinking was that with a name like "Bob White", he was ripe for the picking. I then went to his Go Fund Me page which I googled. It appears that his son was somehow the thief. And the background info goes on to say that Bob has indeed lost everything. Go to this link if you want the details.
It mentions "debt in his name" and a prospect of bankruptcy. That can't legitimately happen by somebody stealing your identity. You're not legally responsible for any debt that you don't sign up for. My guess is that this is not entirely identity theft. What I think people are being led to believe is that Bob had no knowledge of anything going on. And I'll further speculate that he went into guarantees of sorts with his deadbeat son that are now landing in his lap.
If anyone knows more about this and can correct my misinterpretation, please do so. And I'll retract or amend everything I've said.
Many people in this world are victims. Some are completely innocent, but many are victims of their own stupidity, gullibility, and/or generosity. We all need to fully understand exactly what's going on when we're approached for a charitable cause. I feel bad for Mr. White almost like I would for my 85-year old mother in the same predicament. But she knows better than to blindly trust people, even people she knows and loves like 'zipp'. Bob White may have learned that lesson the hard way...
