April 25, 2006
ID theft victim's dream
finally taking flight
ASHLEY SMITH
Telegraph Staff
NASHUA - By the time Randy
Waldron was 8 years old, he was making more than $30,000 a year.
While still in grade school,
Waldron had a complex credit history dating back to his first birthday. His
Social Security number had been used to open credit cards accounts, declare
bankruptcy and evade taxes since 1982.
But it wasn't until he turned 18 and tried to apply for a credit card that
Waldron, 24, of Revere, Mass., realized what was happening: His estranged
father had stolen his identity.
As the story of his father's deception unraveled, Waldron began a
six-year process of trying to clear his name - one that prevented him from
going to college and achieving a lifelong dream of becoming a commercial
airline pilot.
Waldron's luck changed in February, however, when he taped an episode of
"The Montel Williams Show." Waldron thought he was appearing for the sole
purpose of explaining his experience with identity theft.
But at the end of his segment, which airs today at 3 p.m. on FOX25, WFXT,
in Boston, Daniel Webster College Vice President Sean J. Ryan surprised
Waldron with a $40,000 scholarship to the aviation school.
"Even to this day - it's two months later - I'm in shock," Waldron said.
"It's worked out like a dream."
Waldron, who grew up in Conway, was abandoned by his father as an infant.
Less than a year later, his father began fraudulently using the infant's
Social Security number, Waldron said.His father used the number to get work
and buy a business. He amassed thousands of dollars in credit card debt and
was convicted of three counts of felony assault and battery using his son's
name, according to a press release on Waldron from Daniel Webster.
He also declared bankruptcy and owed back taxes to the Internal Revenue
Service and the state of Florida. By the time Waldron was old enough to have
a credit history, his had already been destroyed, he said.
Since childhood, Waldron had dreamed of becoming a pilot. He was prepared
to attend college after graduating from high school and even visited the
Daniel Webster campus in his search for a school.
But the credit history his father had created made that goal nearly
impossible. "Every time that I applied for school, I couldn't get loans
because my credit was so incredibly poor," he said.
So Walden focused his energy on trying to clear his name. Working as a
commercial flight attendant, he spent "thousands of hours and literally
thousands of dollars" examining what had happened to him and trying to get
other people to believe the incredible story, he said.
"I would go to the Social Security Administration and say, look, my father
stole my identity," Waldron said. "And they would say, yeah right."
"It's really a terrible process when you have to go through this because
your Social Security number is tied to everything."
Today, Waldron's father is still using his name for some things. Waldron
doesn't know how often his father uses his Social Security number, because
not every use shows up right away. Waldron is one of the few people in the
country who has been issued a new Social Security number, he said.
He's now working to raise awareness about identity theft and warn
children that it could happen to them. He thought that's what he would be
doing when he flew to New York to tape "The Montel Williams Show."
What he didn't know is that his girlfriend had written a letter to the
show's producers, explaining his desire to be a pilot and asking them for
help in achieving that goal. Producers got in touch with Daniel Webster,
which decided to award the scholarship.
Waldron starts taking online courses next month, but after so many years
of waiting to attend college, he's in no rush to complete his degree. "I'm
going to take it very, very slow. I'm so excited to be a part of the
campus," he said.
"The amazing ride is not over yet by any means." |
