A 17-Year ID Theft Saga Finally Ends

In an interview, Detective Jim Hudson of California’s Placer County Sheriff’s Department admitted to his frustration with this case. “We get into law enforcement to do the right thing and when I see people who had the opportunity to do the right thing and took the short way out, it’s frustrating.”

Hudson finally nailed the right guy this past week when he received a tip from Placer County Welfare investigators that Kidd allegedly applied for welfare benefits as Lawrence E. Smith.

[Product Spotlight: Peace of Mind: IDENTITY GUARD® TOTAL PROTECTION]

Now that Kidd is in custody, Smith, who has three children and nine grandchildren, said he can finally rest a little easier. But undoing the damage that has been done will take a great deal of time.

Memo to disbelievers: “I’ve been doing this for 15 years and I’ve never seen such a successful takeover of a man’s identity, just ruin a man’s life,” detective Hudson said.

So any time anyone tells you that identity theft is preventable, think of this example. The best we can do is minimize our risk of exposure, purchase tools and engage in practices that detect a personal compromise as early in the process as possible. Early detection is crucial in order to contain the damage and have a damage control program in place to limit the personal, emotional and financial upheaval. Follow these tips to minimize your exposure to identity theft:

Never carry a Social Security card.
Limit the number of credit and debit cards in your purse or wallet.
Never provide too much personal information to people you don’t know, either in person, on the phone, or online.
Secure your computer with the most sophisticated firewall, security software and malware protection devices and update them frequently.
Use strong passwords, change them frequently and don’t share passwords among financial, email and social networking sites.
Check your credit card and bank account statements online daily.
Contact your insurance agent, bank, credit union, employer’s human resource department or university administration to find out whether they offer assistance as part of your perks, or if you need to retain the services of a third party provider.

[Resource: 12 Tips for Protecting Your Identity]

The service may be free, require minimal expense as an endorsement to a homeowner or auto owner policey, or be somewhat more expensive as a stand-alone product. As you evaluate the expense, ask yourself one question: what is 17 years of my life worth to me?

Larry Smith would be happy to tell you.