Eventually, Frank learned that a woman in Ventura, Calif., four hours from her home, was impersonating her. It took her about 500 hours of work and five boxes of correspondence. Identity theft has become epidemic. Trans Union, one of the big three credit agencies, got about 388,000 requests for help from victims last year. The Secret Service made 9,500 arrests in 1997, up from 8,800 two years earlier.
Identity theft is usually a low-tech crime.
Because Social Security numbers are so widely used, thieves can scavenge for them through discarded mail or grab mail from mailboxes before you get it. And if your wallet is stolen, it probably will contain a blueprint to your identity, because a number of states still use SSNs as driver's license numbers. If you provide your Social Security number on an application form, don't be shy about asking where the information will be stored and who will have access to it. The club kept the forms in an unlocked file cabinet. Relief may be on the horizon.