A week after my dad passed away, a Miami detective knocked on my mom’s door in Palm Beach.
He was investigating a hit-and-run involving a BMW registered to my dad. My mom explained that her husband had just passed away -and they hadn’t owned a BMW in 15 years.
A few days later, the impound lot called demanding tow fees. My mom refused.
That’s when it unraveled: Someone had purchased a sweet 2023 BMW M4, taken out an auto loan, and set up Progressive insurance – all in my dad’s name.
Over the next three months, the plot thickened.
Miami PD pulled over a car and found a massive stack of credit cards in my dad’s name in the backseat.
Then, my mom got a toll ticket for a Cadillac Escalade speeding through Naples registered to… you guessed it… good ol’ dad.
My Mom got a play-by-play from the detectives, and apparently, a Miami gang had an identity theft ring that my dad had obviosuly been a victim of.
The sad part is my mom then spent months fighting tow yards, police, and insurance companies to clear his name. Believe it or not, the mess is still ongoing.
The Hard Truth: It Was Kind of My Fault
Here is the confession. My dad wasn’t very tech-savvy in his later years. Because of the hassle, I didn’t check his credit report every year like we diligently do for our Financial Zen Members.
If we had, we would have spotted the car loan and stopped this nightmare in its tracks. (Sorry, Mom!)
The Two-Step Defense Plan
1. Check Your Credit Reports Annually
Go to www.annualcreditreport.com (the only federally authorized site). Pull your reports and check them line by line for accounts you don’t recognize.
2. The New FZ Rule: Freeze Your Credit
We’ve officially added this to our Financial Zen checklist: Freeze your (and your parents’) credit with all three bureaus. You can now toggle a freeze on and off from your phone in seconds. If my dad’s credit had been frozen, the dealership’s credit check would have bounced, the loan would have been denied, and this entire mess would have been 100% prevented.
Protect your identity. Protect your parents. Go freeze your credit today.