IStock Photo 7021594 © Sean Locke

In the summer of 2009, 28-year-old Albert Gonzalez and two Russian co-conspirators were charged with stealing more than 130 million credit and debit card numbers. It is the largest case of computer fraud and identity theft in US history. As the numbers were sold online to other thieves, victims started seeing unauthorized charges on their credit card bills and alarming withdrawals straight out of their bank accounts.

When personal information is stolen, the harm to the victim often goes far beyond the pocketbook. When Michelle Brown was detained and questioned at Los Angeles International Airport, she realized that she had lost the claim on her own identity. Tears streamed down her face as she frantically fumbled through police reports and letters from the DA searching for anything that would prove she was a law-abiding citizen—not the felon who had stolen her identity, ruined her credit, and embarked on a crime spree which had led to an outstanding warrant for her arrest.

Every year 1 in 18.22 households will be victimized by identity theft. If it happens to you, the hit to your wallet may be only part of the cost. Many victims find their lives upended—and all too often the culprit is never identified and there’s no certainty about how the theft occurred. It’s up to the victim to take steps to limit the damage, by putting a stop on checks and credit cards, opening new accounts, and creating new passwords. And then comes the painstaking task of trying to undo any damage to one’s reputation or credit scores.

Technology has proven to be a double-edged sword, providing us with quick and convenient ways to perform many tasks and access a wide array of information, but it has also created a backdoor for some to take advantage of unaware consumers. The primary means of identity theft has come by way of increased credit card and Internet use. Together Visa and MasterCard boast over 600 million cards in circulation in the US. The odds an adult uses the Internet regularly are 1 in 1.43 (70%) in the US, and with 1 in 1.45 (69%) people 29-40 making purchases online more and more personal information is being shared. A name, date of birth, or even an email address can be enough for an identity theft to occur—all of which are required for online credit card applications.

Michelle Brown’s ordeal did not end with the arrest of her perpetrator. The name “Michelle Brown” was given at the time of booking—and, incredibly enough, once convicted the thief continued to use the name for outgoing mail she sent from prison.

If identity theft victims are lucky, they are able to walk away with only the inconvenience of having to get new credit cards and remember new PIN numbers. Still 1 in 21.28 victims of identity theft will lose $5,000 or more because of the theft, and 1 in 5.56 will have ongoing problems, especially if the thief is never apprehended. If you are in that number, the biggest toll may be living with the knowledge that someone can live their life in your name, using your Social Security number, signing your name to loan applications, and using your credit to fund their every whim. And the burden of proof will be on you to prove you are who you say you are.