Could it be that identity fraud is being initiated by large companies?

I’m starting to think so, especially after reading of the nightmare scenario from The Editor, aptly titled “Why Sprint Sucks”. The Editor has endured totally unacceptable treatment at the hands of Sprint. 4 times now, the company has contacted her seeking large amounts of cash for accounts she did not start. The Editor has NEVER had a Sprint account. And they demand she prove she is a victim, despite the fact the company has victimized her 4 freakin’ times.

“I contact Sprint and finally get through to a person (hitting 0 a lot helps), and give them the account number. They tell me the account was open in December 2005 from an LA phone number and address. They tell me three lines were open under this account!!! The phone number given was my old phone number. They tell me one of the addresses associated with the account is my old address and there is another address that I have never lived at. I know no one that lives at this address. It is one of the addresses that showed up on my credit report. I tell them that this is the 4th time someone has fraudulently opened or tried to open an account in my name with Sprint. That prior to 2005 I had expressly asked that no account should EVER be opened in my name, and yet, here we were with an account in my name. Last time Sprint actually contacted me to ask. So what gives? I gave them specific instructions as to what questions MUST be answered in order for an account to be open.”

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“I receive the Fraud Packet from Sprint. The fraud packet is set up under the assumption that you, the victim, must prove your innocence. It asks more from me than it did of the criminal who stole my identity.”

Her post also includes nearly a dozen links to other reports on Sprint’s bad, bad policies.

So imagine hundreds and hundreds of people intentionally set up with false accounts, unable or too fatalistic to fight back. Who benefits most?