Nic Narrates

For What I'm Worth

Friday, August 24th, 2007

About this time last year, I had my wallet stolen. I guess that’s what I get for trying to save a few bucks and have my dry cleaning done at the cheapest place in town. And like a complete idiot, whoever nabbed my coveted $80 red Lodis wallet, also got $50 cash, my credit and debit cards, my license, my Sephora gift card and a handful of other travel and club cards, the library card I’ve carried since I was 5, and my social security card.

With my arms full of about 20 prepaid dry cleaned items, a new piece of luggage from TJ Maxx, and my oversized (and unzipped) Coach bag from Kit, I didn’t realize until the next morning when I was leaving for work that my wallet was missing. And by then, you know it was too late.

Among their nearly 200 attempts to access my account at multiple ATMs around the city, I was later told, they enjoyed Chinese on me, filled up on gas, and visited a few other convenience marts. They forged my signature as I sat at home eating mac ‘n cheese alone in front of the TV. But all of this would be nothing compared to the hundreds of dollars that would be phished from my account and electronically wired to Lima, Peru mere weeks later.

I used to joke that anyone who would try to steal my wallet or purse would find more value in the accessory itself than in its contents. But what I never thought of was how much one’s identity can be worth.

The people with my identity had, maybe still have, access to my signature, where I lived, my mother’s maiden name, my old passwords, my ss #, and who knows how much other personal information. For months I felt naked every time I walked out my front door in the morning and turned the key upon arriving home each night.

But I was just another victim of identity theft. Twice. And have since received letters from two separate well-known companies stating that my personal information was part of compromised databases stolen by hackers or internal fraud.

Identity theft has become so common now that people simply shake their heads, say “not to worry,” and wait for reimbursement from their banks and credit card companies. And in the process, we’re growing dismissive of a worsening and very personal form of fraud.

A year of vigilance later, I still have to wonder just how much I can’t possibly be repaid.