I saw a news story today about a guy in Muncie, Ind. who’s been getting calls about late payments on his new Jeep Cherokee.

Yeah, I know, millions of people get calls like that every day. This guy’s calls are a little special, though, because he doesn’t own a Jeep Cherokee, but a favorite relative of his, Cory S. Kortman, just got a new Jeep Cherokee! Small world, huh?

Before long the guy who’s been getting the dunning calls put two and two together and good ol’ Cory got himself arrested last week on charges of forgery and identity deception.

Every family’s got one, right?

There are a couple things about this story that are classic.

First, the victim didn’t discover the ID theft on his own. He didn’t find a new car purchase on his credit report, or get a call from a prospective creditor like he would if he had a fraud alert on his credit file. He found out he’d been robbed when a bill collector called him–just like 82% of all identity theft victims who find out they’re victims because of an adverse action.

Secondly, he knew the perpertrator, and the perpetrator is a relative. Among identity theft victims who know for sure who ripped them off, roughly a third of them can point to a family member or friend.

Got a relative who’s always in financial trouble? Maybe a “friend” who drinks a lot or has a nasty drug addiction? A ne’er-do-well brother-in-law who’s been in trouble with the law in the past. An ex-wife with expensive taste and a vindictive streak? These are the folks who want your name, your good credit and your clean-as-a-whistle background check.

Don’t wait for these losers to come around flashing their new cars or their sparkling rings. Visit LifeLock.com and enroll using the LifeLock promotion code Defense. You’ll get 30 days of free identity theft service and then pay only $9 a month after that. It’s the lowest price and the sweetest deal available.

At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.

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