Identity Crisis

In early April, my partner and I were both notified, separately, that we had become victims of identity theft. Fortunately, the fraud was caught before any damage was done to our financial health; however, our emotional health was greatly compromised. While my partner insists that this form of invasion is less traumatic than someone breaking into our house, the residual effects are similar. We have to take charge now and make sure this doesn't happen to us again. We have to file police reports, meticulously comb our credit reports, call creditors we did not solicit to tell them for the tenth time that we did not open an account, and sign and return pages of documents to keep this type of violation from happening again, or at least for the next seven years, which is the limit on heightened fraud alert with the three major credit bureaus.

Meanwhile, a woman who allegedly lives less than a mile from our home, and who has previously been arrested in January for committing the same type of crimes, has not be apprehended or prevented from perpetrating this type of crime on other people. I know that in the greater scheme of things, identity theft seems minor. It's not murder. It's not physical or sexual assault. It's not even kidnapping. But it is a crime nonetheless.

What is particularly irritating and unjust about this whole thing is that the woman who committed these crimes did so very easily. She simply took mail from our mailbox. She used this information to apply for credit with a variety of banks and retail chains through online application processes. Here's where my outrage becomes elevated. Why have banks and businesses made it so easy for people to obtain credit, legitimately or otherwise, via the Internet? I know it is an essential aspect of commerce today. But, there have to be some extra layers of protection and checks and balances in place to prevent people from behaving badly. It should not be this easy to get credit, especially by use of fraudulent means.

And, what will happen to this woman who committed these crimes against me and my partner? How will time in jail cause her to change her ways? There have to be other deterrents and safeguards to change her behavior and protect others. Meanwhile, my identity has been compromised, and I wonder how many more times I will have to prove that I did not do what banks and retails stores say I did in my own name or that I am who I say I am. A complete stranger has co-opted my identity, and she looks nothing like me. Just when I thought I really knew who I was, someone comes along to remind me that I still have a lot to learn.