Ben Bernanke's Brush With ID Theft a Lesson for Everyone

When experts say no one is immune to identity theft, they aren't kidding. The latest victim to come forward couldn't be more high profile (or ironic)-Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke.According to The Wall Street Journal, Bernanke's wife was in a Starbucks last August when her purse was stolen. The bag contained a treasure trove of information for anyone bent on committing fraud and besmirching someone else's good name.

A few days later, says the Journal, someone named George Lee Reid allegedly walked into a Bank of America branch in Hyattsville, Md., and deposited a $900 check under the names of Mr. and Mrs. Bernanke into a third person's account and then withdrew $9,000 from that person's account, using other stolen identities.

Following his own advice to Americans to act fast when they think they've been the victims of ID theft, Bernanke immediately called his bank and credit card companies when he noticed suspicious activity in his financial accounts.

The full article can be found here.