Last week, we commemorated Get Smart About Credit Day. This week, we're calling attention to a related event: National Protect Your Identity Week 
.
Spearheaded by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, this initiative is designed to bring identity theft awareness and prevention programs to consumers in communities across the country.
Has your identity ever been stolen — even just a small piece of it? Mine has, and it was a maddening experience. A credit card that I hadn't used in a long time started accruing random charges for teenage clothing in New York and sports equipment in Texas. I didn't know that the charges were happening until I received a bill for thousands of dollars.
It took a lot of convincing before the credit card company (not Wells Fargo) would believe that the charges weren't mine, and frankly, their representatives weren't very helpful or empathetic. Countless phone calls, notarized fraud affidavits, and a freeze on my credit report later, I resolved the situation in a matter of months — fortunately with no damage to my credit rating.
Others haven't been as lucky. In fact, one of my high school girlfriends had her name, birth date, and Social Security number stolen by a former coworker. My friend used the experience to start her own nonprofit organization, the Identity Theft Action Council of Nebraska . Now she educates others about the crime of identity theft, helps victims put their lives back together, and shapes federal and state legislation. She's amazing!
Later in the week, Karen will tell her own personal story of fraudulent credit card usage, and Caroline will share some tips for identity theft prevention. Stay tuned.
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