If You Find Identity Theft Terrifying, Wait for the Bureaucratic Nightmare That Follows

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 2 November 2022

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When LA Times associate editor Jessica Roy had her wallet stolen, she braced for the worst: She froze her credit, filed a federal identity theft complaint and requested a police report. But when thieves began using her name to obtain bank accounts, car loans and bail bonds, she wasn't prepared for the bureaucratic nightmare that followed as she tried to recover her money and restore her credit. Her experience might sound familiar — a recent survey estimates that 42 million Americans were victimized by some type of identity fraud in 2021, with total losses estimated at $52 billion. Roy joins us to talk about how banks, credit agencies and law enforcement can do more to protect us. Guests: Jessica Roy, assistant editor, utility journalism, LA Times Eva Velasquez, president/CEO, Identity Theft Resource Center - a nonprofit based in San Diego that provides assistance to victims of identity theft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for Kikiweedy Podcasts comes from Rancho LaPuerta, a wellness resort on 4,000 acres located 45 minutes from downtown San Diego.
0:08.7	Established in 1940, Rancho LaPuerta offers adult summer camp-like vacations for individuals and groups.
0:15.0	Rancho LePuerta.com
0:16.7	Greetings, Boomtown.
0:18.4	The Xfinity Wi-Fi is booming!
0:20.6	Xfinity combines the power of internet and mobile.
0:23.8	So we've all got lightning fast speeds at home and on the go!
0:27.4	Learn more at Xfinity.com.
0:29.3	Restrictions apply.
0:30.0	Xfinity, Internet required.
0:31.0	Actual speeds vary.
0:33.3	From KQED.
0:34.3	Thank you. From KQED.
0:52.7	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Nina Kim.
1:00.0	Coming up on forum, when L.A. LA Times reporter Jessica Roy had her identity stolen, she felt victimized by the thieves. But the long battle to recover her identity also made her feel victimized by the people who care little and didn't try to help,
1:07.0	and the system that made it so easy for them to steal her identity in the first place.
1:11.6	Jessica Roy joins us to talk about identity theft and its nightmarish aftermath.
1:16.5	Plus, how you can protect yourself.
1:18.8	That's coming up on Forum after this news. Welcome to Forum. I'm Minok-Hin.
1:40.0	The FBI received a record number of identity theft reports last year, and a survey fined some 42 million Americans were affected by identity fraud in 2021, with total losses estimated at $52 billion.
1:53.2	That's billion with a B.
1:55.7	A report from the Identity Thief Resource Center said more than half of victims polled this year never fully resolved their cases.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.