Identity Theft!

I attended an interesting forum on identity theft and the Real ID Act today. I learned that I can shred everything and never shop online and if a thief decides to drive a truck through the back wall of the DMV to steal a database, I'm outta luck.

Personally, I've already had my debit card stolen online and my second debit card cloned and used to buy $1,000 worth of stuff at WalMart in a Chicago suburb. (I told the guy at my bank that there was no way I could have made those purchases--not only because I wasn't in Illinois, but because I would never shop at Wal-Mart. His response: "You don't shop at Wal-Mart? Well that's just unAmerican!" I was speechless.)

But I thought one of the most interesting parts of the discussion centered on who is committing this identity theft. Apparently, drug addicts and gang members are moving away from the drug dealing business and choosing identity theft instead. It's much less dangerous, it doesn't really feel like you are hurting anyone when you comb through their garbage for their bank statement, and police don't have a lot of options for arresting you.
(Why'd you pull me over officer? Well, I saw you had some mail in your car....)

The penalties are also significantly less stiff for identity theft than they are for drug dealing. The LA County DA's office showed us a letter from a convicted identity thief bragging about spending a mere 47 days in jail.

The legislation that the speakers asked us to support (CA AB 2886) calls for stiffer penalties for identity thieves. While I understand that identity theft is a serious crime, I can't help but notice that as soon as identity theft went from a high-tech, white-collar crime to something that "gang members" have added to their repertoire, we decide the penalties should be harsher. Maybe tougher prosecution and more tools for the police will help...I just hope that stealing bank statements from the garbage doesn't become yet another non-violent third strike crime.

I'll write about the Real ID Act later--it's a doosey.