January 5, 2008

Metro Blames Wackenhut

The Tennessean has some potentially good news for the 337,000 Nashvillians who have been put at severe risk of being victims of identity theft by the near-total incompetence of the Davidson County Election Commission. Though, given the multiple failures of the DCEC to protect the data, I'm not at all convinced that Wackenhut deserves most or even very much of the blame...

Identity theft is a very costly crime.

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the average victim of identity theft spends hundreds of hours to recover from identity theft, costing them thousands of dollars in lost potential income in addition to the average $1,400 in out-of-pocket expenses to clean up the mess left by the identity thieves.

Even after the thief stops using the information, victims struggle with the impact of identity theft. That might include increased insurance or credit card fees, inability to find a job, higher interest rates and battling collection agencies and issuers who refuse to clear records despite substantiating evidence of the crime. This "tail" may continue for more than 10 years after the crime was first discovered.

The emotional impact on victims is likened to that felt by victims of more violent crime, including rape, violent assault and repeated battering. Some victims feel dirty, defiled, ashamed and embarrassed, and undeserving of assistance. Others report a split with a significant other or spouse and of being unsupported by family members.