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Culture
 Identity theft
By Marybeth Hicks
 Five
years ago, St. Mary Cathedral parishioner Dr. Judith Collins got
a phone call from a credit card company asking if she had opened
a new account. She hadn’t. But that call changed
her life forever, because it led her to the discovery that her identity
had been stolen.
According to the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission, identity
theft is the fastest growing crime in the nation. Last
year alone, an estimated 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity
theft, and the cost to victims and businesses each year is a staggering
$12 billion dollars.
But for Judith and others like her, the cost isn’t measured
in money or even in the grueling hours it takes to investigate the
crime’s impact and restore good credit.
“I’ve coined the phrase ‘identity rape,’”
Judith says, “because the emotional and psychological effects
are similar. Identity theft is a (very) personal violation against
a human being.”
“When I learned I was a victim, I was in a state of shock,”
Judith recalls. “Like most victims of identity theft, I felt
frustrated, helpless, fearful – even paranoid. You worry just
how far these criminals will go. Will they do physical harm? Will
they rob my home? You begin to have safety concerns about yourself
and your family,” she explains.
“I experienced the whole range of emotions that victims
have,” Judith says. “In addition to being a
financial crime, identity theft is a form of psychological and emotional
abuse that is indescribable.” Judith says victims of identity
theft suffer as much, or more than, victims of other types of crimes,
including violent crimes. Reactions can become severe, such as the
victim who stopped using her first name out of fear and embarrassment,
or another victim who began screening all calls to her home rather
than answer a telephone. These responses reflect the vulnerability
and shame some people feel after learning their identities have
been used by thieves.
Why does this crime make such a personal impact and conjure
the strong sense of violation? Your identity as an individual
created uniquely by God is the one aspect of yourself that you “own”
by virtue of your existence. In the Bible, David describes God’s
intimate role in creating each of us: “You formed my inmost
being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully
you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my
bones were not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
fashioned as in the depths of the earth.” (Ps 139:13-15) God’s
involvement in designing each person uniquely, yet in His image
and likeness, endows us with singularly distinctive souls. He made
us who we are, and we alone are entitled to represent ourselves
to the world.
Turning a crime into
a cause
 When
Judith realized she was a victim of identity theft, she applied
her considerable resources to learning just how far the thieves
had gone to sully her good name and credit. As a professor
of criminal justice at Michigan State University, Judith already
had invested 14 years studying the psychological make-up of so-called
“white-collar criminals.” Her professional background
allowed her to investigate the crime committed against her, and
busying herself in this way helped her take control of her identity
and her life.
Judith says a victim’s response depends, in part, on the person’s
general make-up. “My own recovery was both rational and spiritual,”
she says. After investigating her case and discovering its scope,
Judith applied what she learned to her academic research. “I
decided to use my experience to help others,” Judith says.
In her capacity as a professor and researcher, Judith created MSU’s
Identity Theft Lab in the school’s Criminal Justice Department,
collaborating with businesses and law enforcement professionals
to detect and prevent identity theft. To date, the ID Theft Lab
has trained more than 600 police officers to investigate and collect
evidence in identity theft cases. And while the legal and jurisdictional
issues surrounding identity theft remain complex, the ID Theft Lab
offers help and hope to victims, as well as a host of resources
for those seeking to stem the spread of this technology-based crime.
Judith credits God with the strength it took to turn this
negative episode into a positive outcome for herself and other victims. In the end, she proved her identity was more than just
her good name and credit – it’s Judith, the person who
acted on her circumstances to serve the Lord by helping others.
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Help for victims of identity
theft
The
ID Theft Lab at Michigan State University assists victims with information
and support. For more information on identity theft and resources
for victims, see the ID Theft Lab’s Web site at cj.msu.edu/~outreach/identity/,
or call (800) 892-9051.
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Something’s Phishy!
Identity
thieves often prey on Internet users – in a maneuver known
as phishing. To avoid being phished, the FTC suggests the following:
• If you get an e-mail or pop-up message that asks for personal
or financial information, do not reply or click on the link in the
message.
• Don’t e-mail personal or financial information. E-mail
is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. No
website security indicator is foolproof; some phishers have forged
security icons.
• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as
you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized
charges.
• Use anti-virus software and keep it up to date. Look for
anti-virus software that recognizes current viruses as well as older
ones; that can effectively reverse the damage; and that updates
automatically.
• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading
any files from e-mails you receive, regardless of who sent them.
• Report suspicious activity to the FTC. If you get spam that
is phishing for information, forward it to spam@uce.gov. If you
believe you’ve been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov,
and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft
to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from ID theft.
Originally Published: October 2004
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