There is an old Dutch expression: "High trees catch a lot of wind". Well. once you get in the public eye there is definitely the effect you become a bigger target of identity theft. In the last two weeks there have been three attempts that we know of, probably more that we have not uncovered yet.
First we got a call from the Small Business Administration, where someone applied for an SBA loan in my name, with the correct Social Security Number. The SBA reps called me to verify, and I congratulated them with a "good fraud catch".
Next, someone filed an unemployment claim in my name, again with the correct SSN. That one of course had very little chance of success, since these requests need to be verified by the company in question, and KnowBe4 had not laid me off yet. :-D
And then, someone created a fake Facebook account for me, and started contacting KnowBe4 employees as the Fake Stu. They promptly reported the fake profile to Facebook. Their support team sent me an email that they are reviewing it.
Knowsters made some screenshots before the profile will be taken down. It's done by an amateur, since I have never set foot in Uganda where NKumba University is located. The patter is also straight from a template, since anyone who knows me immediately spots that this is not the way I talk. Here is a screenshot:
First off-hand guess is that this is the modern-day equivalent of the Nigerian 419 scam. We'll see what Facebook support comes back with. At the same time this is entertaining and also somewhat frustrating but hey it comes with the territory. Good thing I froze my accounts with the credit bureaus quite a few years ago. I strongly suggest you do the same, and stay safe out there!
Warm regards,
The Real Stu. :-D
