mine Claire, the check books both had the same signature name: C. Coplestone. You can imagine just how much fun he had with that when checks payable to me came in! See, I had forgotten to tell everyone my new address in the turmoil. How easily it all happens.


Documents:


Take yours! Hide them! Put them somewhere very safe. If you can ask a friend or family member to hold onto your documents, do it! I had mine in what I thought was a safe place in my home after I left. He got into my house and took them, even my car’s documents. I say 'cars' plural because I had four, I know, crazy, but I had leant one to his son, one to him, one was in the garage and I drove one. I went away for a break to find he had given the one his son was borrowing to his son, on paper, he gave one to his friend with documents and one he part exchanged in a dealership. Yes, he had forged my signature to the UK DVLA and had all the docs transferred to him. Could I prove it? No, because he had stolen all my documents! Along with everything else, which brings me on to the next topic:


Door Locks:


Make sure you change the locks to your house, especially if you’ve shared the house, in the turmoil I thought I had every key to my home, turns out his son had one and while I was away, they all went in and took everything. I say, everything… He did leave me with a knife, cup, spoon and fork, neatly laid out on the


“Take yours! Hide them! Put them


somewhere very safe. If you can ask a friend or


family member to hold onto your


documents, do it!”


counter top. I couldn’t do much with them, after all, he had taken my stove, fridge etc so it wasn’t like I was cooking anytime soon. The Police told me because he got in with a key, it wasn't theft, it was a 'domestic dispute'.


Email:


This is simple and a must do! Change your passwords! We all think we will remember to do it but… Do it! Don’t wait for them to get into your personal email, Facebook, Twitter. It will be a nightmare that will be so difficult to unravel once the damage is done!


There was something I did remember, though, and that was to change my name back to my maiden name quickly! I needed to be me again.


PHF Magazine July 2017 10


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