Identity Theft Victim Reclaims Her Life

Wow, what a great article. I'm a little miffed at how little jail-time this person got.

"If it hadn't been for the distinctive suede coat, there would have been no chase through the streets of San Francisco, no heroine and, in all likelihood, no justice. But when Karen Lodrick turned away from ordering her latte at the Starbucks at Church and Market streets, there it was, slung over the arm of the woman behind her.

It was, Lodrick thought, a "beaucoup expensive" light-brown suede coat with faux fur trim at the collar, cuffs and down the middle.
The only other time Lodrick, a 41-year-old creative consultant, had seen that particular coat was on a security camera photo that her bank, Wells Fargo, showed her of the woman who had stolen her identity. The photo was taken as the thief was looting Lodrick's checking account.

Now, here was the coat again. This woman -- a big woman, about 5 feet 10, maybe 150 pounds -- had to be the person who had put her through six months of hell and cost her $30,000 in lost business as she tried to untangle the never-ending mess with banks and credit agencies."

More: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/15/IDTHEFT.TMP

Lodrick, who made a statement at sentencing, was dissatisfied. "I can't believe it," she said. "I went through six months of hell, and she's going to get probation? She was on probation when she victimized me. Obviously, probation's not helping."


I agree, Paladin. This woman lived well for quite some time, wearing Prada and Gucci on somebody else's dime. Why not? That's quite a ride for less than two months of jail time and probation. Not much of a deterrant at all. She'll be stealing someone else's ID before long.