Dear E.I. audience,
I was doing a little house keeping in some old files when I came across a document that I haven’t seen in awhile…a photo copy of my passport (a fake passport) with a nice clear picture of the Ecuadorian fellow who boldly put his face on the passport. This same fellow made a fake credit card in my name and with credit card and passport in hand, he went about buying used vehicles and threw in an airline trip as well.
We’re not sure how this fellow came up with photocopies of my passport and credit card but we’re very sure it happened at the hotel we stayed at…a very nice hotel. No need to go into details.
Luckily my bank overseas, in performing a thorough investigation, was able to obtain all documents related to the crimes and relieved me of any responsibility. The American Embassy sent a copy of the documents to HLS who then forwarded the documents to their office in Ecuador and I was told that they would try to work with Ecuadorian authorities to try and identify the crook…never heard back from the Embassy.
I am submitting this post simply to advise everyone to be extremely careful controlling your passport and credit cards. Do not let the documents out of your sight and keep your eyes on the person who is helping you. If that person says “I’ll be right back” and tries to leave the room…stop them immediately.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Ecuador…I’ve been there 3 times now and I will retire there in the near future. The Ecuadorian people are very nice. Just keep an eye on your documents.
Cheers,
Dave
Nevada
.
