Victim of Identity Theft: Cajunhiker Online Name Used Without Permission 

By The REAL Cajunhiker

I just did a Google search for my name, Cajunhiker, and imagine my surprise when I see there are other people out there online with my name!

I had the name Cajunhiker first, no doubt about it. How does one place a claim on their online identity, specifically, their online name?

I first used it to logon to a hotmail email account in 19 ..., well..., I don't remember exactly when because it's been so long ago. If I had to guess, and this would be pretty close, I first started using my name online somewhere around 1994 to 1996. It could be a year earlier than 1994 in the very early years of the Internet, or it could be a year later than 1996 when the Net boom really took off.

Now I see there's a lady in my hometown, Lafayette, LA. using my name on a blog (I wouldn't dare to oblige you with her blog address). Then there's another person who claims to live on the banks of the Mississippi using MY NAME!!

And the last straw is somebody on Backpacker.com's forum site using MY NAME!!

I guess I could ask each person to stop using my name, but I don't think they would. I don't know these people, but I know people are stubborn when it comes to their names, just like me.

But go ahead, try to register Cajunhiker with hotmail, gmail, aol, yahoo or whereever. I've already claimed the name. You will have to use some mangled variant of it to register.

Let me be clear. I want my name back. So stop using it if you unsuspectedly took it. It's my identity. It sums up who I am. I'm Cajun and I hike and backpack a lot. It fits me. I claimed it first.

As to how one righfully claims an online name and keeps it. I don't know. But if you do, please let me know. Respond here at www.lafayettegrapevine.com/blog/view/id_5/ if you can, otherwise email me at MY NAME, cajunhiker@hotmail.com.