Many people have reached out to me over the years sharing their story of identity theft (thanks to all of you). A recent theme that has emerged is the permanence that this crime leaves to its victims.

Perhaps it is due to the introduction of technology that is expected to be used in our day-to-day lives that has made identity theft the permeating issue it is today. The opportunities for identity theft to occur is enhanced with technology due to the large volume of people that can be impacted, since with the use of technology, human presence (and confirmation) can easily be substituted. Not to mention that identity theft data itself seems to find no expiration in the systems where it lives.

Identity theft has long been in existence albeit in different forms. As one online article on identity theft reminds us, “The phrase ‘identity theft’ is a relatively new term for what is actually a centuries old problem.” This is true with more recent identity theft examples of those by phone (still happens), identity theft from digging through trash for personal documents (still happens), identity theft by internet (yes) and so on (Hur, n.d.).

Not only does identity theft remain an issue, it is very much a mounting issue since no form of identity theft has been extinguished to find itself victim free.

The ramifications of identity theft absolutely last a lifetime. While no one should let ones guard down when it comes to protecting personal information, for those that have knowingly had their identity compromised (oftentimes at no fault of their own) there are occurrences that provide a constant reminder of the peril and the never ending job that persists in policing personal information.

While we do not know how and where identity theft will lurk next, history tells us that identity theft has proven itself to be an ever-thriving crime given its unique ability to remain disguised amongst a trusting landscape.

References:

Hur, Johnson (n.d.). History of Identity Theft Protection. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://bebusinessed.com/history/history-of-identity-theft-protection/