LifeLock Blog

Linda Norris has never been arrested on prostitution charges, but she was arrested July 7 for violating the probation conditions of a 2004 prostitution charge. Colleen Wehunt, a convicted prostitute and drug user, has been using Norris’ identity for years.

And, unfortunately, Norris’ story isn’t uncommon: 56% of the ID theft victims in the Identity Theft Resource Center’s annual Aftermath Survey said their impostors were arrested, booked or arraigned using their victims’ name. One-third of the respondents said they now have criminal records because of crimes committed by the impostors.

When Florida Highway Patrol troopers stopped Norris July 7, they ran her driver’s license, and found the arrest warrant in her name. And, even though Norris’ face matched the one on her driver’s license, how could the troopers know she wasn’t the ID thief with a fake license?

Norris, a resident of Apopka, Fla., even presented a document from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirming Colleen Wehunt had stolen Norris’ identity. But the trooper had no choice but to arrest her, according to Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes–apparently judges’ warrants trump Sheriff’s Office documents.

Norris and Wehunt each rented rooms in a boarding house in the 1990s, but weren’t friends and didn’t know each other, Norris said. She said she thinks Wehunt must have stolen her mail to get enough information to successfully impersonate her all these years.

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Financial identity theft is on the news, in the newspaper, and a topic of conversation wherever you go. It seems everyone you talk to either knows someone who’s been a victim, or has been a victim themselves.

Findings on the impact and scope of financial identity theft:
• So far, 15 million Americans have been victims of financial ID theft. With a national population of 300 million, that means 1 in 20 has been hit.

• Personal financial losses average $1,244.

• The estimated loss to businesses and consumers in 2005 was $56.6 billion.

• All branches of the federal government report losses of personal data, only a small percentage of which was caused by hackers. By far the majority of losses is the result of theft of laptops, disks, drives or unauthorized use by employees.

• Corporate and governmental security breeches account for 217,551,182 compromised records.

• 88 percent of all identity theft is the result of synthetic identity theft, rather than the better known true name identity theft.

• It takes an average of 600 hours to resolve issues of identity theft, though a many victims report that even after that time negative financial information remains on their credit report.

• Victims of financial identity theft report a level of emotional impact similar to victims of rape, assault and repeated battering. Some say they felt dirty, defiled or ashamed.

• Family stress, divorce, difficulty in finding employment and obtaining credit are common byproducts of identity theft

• Most financial identity theft is a crime of opportunity and is perpetrated by family members, neighbors or employees.

What can you do to prevent financial identity theft?
Given that your financial ID is almost entirely in the hands of government and corporate entities, there is little you can do to prevent identity theft. There are, however, steps you can take to minimize the risk and resultant damage should identity theft occur.
• Keep all documents with identifying information under lock and key. Carry no more identification or credit cards in your wallet than is absolutely necessary.

• Do not leave incoming or outgoing mail in your mailbox.

• Check your credit report at least every six months.

• Consider subscribing to an identity theft protection service. Service levels vary, but should include credit monitoring, fraud alerts and recovery services. Visit LifeLock.com to learn more about their service. Enroll using the LifeLock promotion code Defense for the best discount.

Sources for this article and for further information about financial identity theft include:
• US Dept. of Justice (www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html)
• Javelin Strategy and Research (www.javelinstrategy.com)
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (www.privacyrights.org)
• Identity Theft Resource Center (www.idtheftcenter.org)