Credit freeze lifted by thieves: Fort Myers victim calls for federal help

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)— Americans lost nearly $13 billion to fraud and identity theft in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Fort Myers resident Dayee Jacob brought his frustrations to WINK Listens at Florida Southwestern State College in South Fort Myers in March, saying he keeps being victimized with nowhere to turn.

Jacob says he had his identity stolen three times in the last six months. He is one of more than a million Americans who fall victim to identity theft each year, and according to the federal government, that number keeps increasing. WINK News reporter Ryan Kruger met Jacob at WINK Listens last week.

"I was flabbergasted. I said, how could this happen?" Jacob said.

Jacob told Kruger he is tired of falling victim to identity theft.

He first noticed an issue in October when he got a call from his bank about someone trying to open a credit card in his name.

"I don't know how they got my information. They may have hacked my phone or my credit report or my Social Security account, or whatever," Jacob said.

Jacob showed Kruger the complaint he filed with the Lee County Sheriff's Office. He also put a freeze on his credit, the same steps experts always recommend.

But just two months later, on Christmas Eve, Jacob received another phone call.

"They were able to lift the credit freeze that I placed on my account, and then they applied for another credit card," Jacob said.

Thankfully, each time Jacob was alerted to the attempted fraud. He never suffered financial losses.

That compares with the $12.7 billion Americans lost to this kind of fraud in 2024, according to the latest available numbers.

"Although I don't have any financial loss at this point, my credit information is all out there. Somebody has it, my Social Security number, my name, my address, everything,” said Jacob.

Florida Consumer Attorney Zachary Zermay says it is important to constantly monitor your credit reports using free online tools.

"We'll all be victims, likely at some point of identity theft," Zermay said.

He also recommends changing your passwords and contacting law enforcement when you are a victim. Ultimately, though, he believes the federal government will have to eventually step in with new legislation to protect consumers.

"I think that stronger consumer protection laws would help in this instance where you have the credit reporting bureaus on the lookout for identity theft,” Zermay said.

Earlier this year, a bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress called the Stop Identity Fraud and Identity Theft Act. If passed, the legislation would put the Treasury Department at the center of a government push to protect consumers.

Jacob believes there needs to be a federal response to a growing problem.

"It should be a national thing, and every law enforcement agency should be able to contact other agencies," Jacob said.

The one silver lining is that the Federal Trade Commission says while complaints about identity theft increased, financial losses per person fell slightly.