Mickey Mouse: Identity Theft Victim

Published

May 17, 2018

Christine DiGangi is the former Deputy Managing Editor - Engagement for Credit.com and covered a variety of personal finance topics. Her writing has been featured on USA Today, MSN, Yahoo! Finance and The New York Times International Weekly, among other outlets.

America’s most beloved mouse has been the victim of an alleged identity theft ring recently busted in Washington state. Police in Bellevue, Wash., found a fake ID bearing Mickey Mouse’s picture and “personal information” when they recovered dozens of fake IDs, 67 fraudulent credit cards, seven fake Social Security cards and hundreds of forged checks at a residence allegedly serving as the home base of a large fraud operation. It seems most of the victims’ information was acquired after thieves stole their mail or broke into their cars, a release from the police department said.

Of course, Mickey Mouse isn’t driving around Washington, nor does he have a Washington mailing address. It seems the fraudsters were having a bit of fun when they produced the ID for the Disney character, which was described in a story from the New York Daily News.

According to his Washington state ID, Mickey Mouse (spelled Mick E Mouse), is 5-foot-2 and 110 pounds. Like most people, it seems Mr. Mouse low-balled his weight at the DMV, because anyone who has been to Disneyland or Disney World and seen the large-headed character knows that mouse weighs more than 110 pounds. He’s not lying about his age, though: The first iteration of Mickey Mouse made his appearance as Steamboat Willie on Nov. 18, 1928, which is listed as Mr. Mouse’s birthdate on his Washington license. Despite the state ID, his address is listed as Anaheim, Calif., the location of Disneyland. He is also an organ donor.

The police were tipped off to the fun-loving identity thieves when a neighbor reported stolen road construction signs on the patio of the residence where the fraudulent documents were later recovered.

As for the human victims of the scam, the operation may have serious consequences. If gone unchecked, identity theft can cause victims serious financial problems, which is why it’s important to address as soon as possible. All consumers should carefully monitor their financial account activity, credit scores and credit reports for signs of fraudulent use. Seeing an unexpected charge to your credit card charges can alert you to theft, as can a sudden drop in credit scores. To minimize the potential damage from identity theft, check your accounts and credit as often as possible — you can get two free credit scores every 30 days through Credit.com — and act as soon as you see something suspicious.