Gary Edwards of Seattle may have had aspirations to be the lead singer for AC/DC, but his dreams have now been dashed, thanks to some very savvy identity thieves.
Edwards, who is a dead ringer for Brian Johnson, lead singer for AC/DC, is known for his spot-on singing of the famous band’s songs, so when he received a call offering him a chance to play with the band, he totally bought into it.
He was offered a chance to join the band in London and go on tour, along with a $17,000 signing bonus and a Columbia Records recording contract. So when the scammers asked for his personal information, he gave it to them – he gave it all to them. That included his Social Security number, address, date of birth and even copies of his signature, along with the signature of his girlfriend. He even had reservations at a Seattle restaurant to meet with a CBS radio executive to talk over the details of the deal.
The exec never showed.
Agents with the Federal Trade Commission have called this scam one of the most elaborate scams they’ve ever seen.
Edwards’ information is still out there, and the perpetrators are still at large. But he says the worst part of the whole thing is that he quit his long-time band in order to follow his dreams.
If Edwards was a LifeLock customer, he would have nothing to worry about except his bruised dreams. With the LifeLock Identity SDS™ (Search. Detect. Secure.), LifeLock customers are immediately alerted to potential identity threats. The system monitors non-credit activities like the opening of utilities accounts, payday loans, public records, alias records, court records and sex offender registries.
Lifelock Personal Breach Detection™ monitors the Internet for any illegal use, or the selling or trading of customer information.
LifeLock’s services bring peace of mind – it ain’t rock and roll, but it sure can be music to your ears.
Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”
