Identity theft victim's story to air on Montel

NASHUA – Since he was a toddler, Randy Waldron Jr. had it all: He owned restaurants, big houses and fast cars. With those things came piles of debt and eventually, a criminal record.

Except it wasn't really him. Someone stole his identity.

The incoming freshman at Daniel Webster College will have his story broadcast today on the Montel Williams show.

Waldron is one of a rapidly growing group of identity theft victims. The 24-year-old has spent the last eight years dealing with hawkish debt collectors, skeptical lawyers and cynics while trying to clear his name.

Waldron's problem is exactly that: his name.

"For the last 24 years, my father has impersonated me, and people took him at face value," said Waldron Jr., who was visiting the college yesterday.

The Revere, Mass., native's problems began when he was a senior in high school and was denied after applying for his first credit card with Capital One, he said.

The reason for the denial was that he supposedly never repaid thousands of dollars.

His father, who left his son and wife when Waldron Jr. was a toddler, took his identity, Waldron Jr. said. As Waldron Jr. explained, from 1982 until 1999, his father used his Social Security number to gain credit from innumerable lenders and vendors to finance restaurants, liquor licenses, cars and houses.

Waldron Sr. declared bankruptcy, has been convicted of three felonious assault and battery charges and owes the IRS and the State of Florida back taxes, all under his son's name, Waldron Jr. said.

In total, Waldron Sr. managed to accumulate more $2 million in debt and civil judgments against his son's name.

Waldron Jr.'s story is not unusual.

In 2005, identity theft was the No. 1 complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission — in total, 255,565 victims nationwide reported identity theft. Those figures are up from 246,847 people in 2004 and 215,177 in 2003, according to FTC documents.

Locally, there were 645 victim complaints logged with the FTC last year, up from 543 in 2004. In 2004, the most identity theft victims came from Manchester (49) and Nashua (45), while Concord, Dover and Salem had 16 each.

Although Waldron Jr. always wanted to go to school to be a pilot and had been accepted to schools, he never could attend because he couldn't obtain loans. The credit history linked to his name held him back.

Recently his luck changed. Waldron Jr. appeared on Montel Williams' show in February, in an episode about children who had their identities stolen by a family member.

Some quick thinking by the brass at Daniel Webster College, including Sean Ryan, vice president of admissions and financial assistance, got Ryan on a plane and to the taping of the show.

Once there, Ryan jumped out of his seat and presented Waldron Jr. with a $40,000 scholarship. Since then, Waldron Jr. earned an additional $14,000 through an alumni grant and a merit scholarship.

The show airs today on Fox 25 (WFXT) today at 3 p.m.