If you’ve ever worried about identity theft, you’ll want to read how a California man allegedly managed to buy a car in someone else’s name. All by opening their mail.

Here are the charges, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Beginning in 2023, Kyle Matthew Lisman began opening his identity theft victim’s mail. He then set up a mail-forwarding order to send their bills and letters to himself. He must have had access to their mailbox to confirm this mail-forwarding order, but once he did, he was all set.

With mail-forwarding set up, Lisman was able to open credit cards and eventually debit cards in his victim’s name. He withdrew their cash and ran up purchases to the tune of thousands of dollars.

Finally, he created a fake driver’s license combining his victim’s information with a picture of himself.

Upgrading from identity theft to car theft

Lisman decided a shopping spree wasn’t enough. He went online, found a vehicle he wanted at a Bakersfield car dealership, and paid $40,000 for it. He punched in his victim’s personal information, including their Social Security number.

To pull off the car theft, Lisman arrived and showed the dealership the driver’s license he’d modified with his own picture. Then he got in the new car and drove away.

On January 26th, the Department of Justice announced, “Kyle Matthew Lisman, 29, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possessing stolen mail, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.”