Identity thieves target Ben Bernanke and his wife

Posted by Caitlin on August 31st, 2009

Government officials recently revealed that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke fell victim to identity theft last year. Mrs. Bernanke's purse, containing personal checks, four credit cards, and her ID, was stolen in a Starbucks. A few days later, the thief walked into a Bank of America branch and used one of the Bernankes' stolen checks to deposit $900 into a third party's account, then withdrew $9,000 from that person's account. Ben Bernanke quickly spotted the suspicious transaction and reported it to the bank, and as a result, the Bernankes were not liable for the missing funds. The thief, however, is still at large, and is believed to be part of a larger identity theft ring that continues to impersonate victims at various bank branches.

The thief who stole Anna Bernanke's purse withdrew only $900 at first, in order to avoid raising red flags. Fortunately, Ben Bernanke was monitoring his bank statements carefully and thus, noticed the unusual transaction immediately. Regularly checking your account activity online is one of the most crucial steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft. If you'd like to take further steps to prevent and detect new account fraud, consider investing in an identity theft protection service.