'Mind-boggling' thievery, online identity theft

[mandy]

Cathy Boyle, like most people, was sure she could spot a hoax when she saw one.

But after the 23-year-old Sioux City woman received the exact same e-mail five times within two weeks in late October claiming there had been suspicious activity on her eBay account, she thought the request to validate her information could be real.

"Right after I had entered my credit card and checking account information and clicked the button, I just knew I shouldn't have done it," she said. "I started canceling everything right away."

Almost immediately, fraudulent charges started piling up on her old checking account, and she received a phone call from Dell Computers wanting to know if she tried to buy a computer. She even discovered her information being used to scam someone else when a fast cash loan store in Phoenix called her to verify a check she allegedly had written for $4,000.

full article: http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles...7dd67f.txt