Managing Your Identity
“Managing Your ID”
Stories
For four long years, Bronti Kelly couldn’t figure out why no one wanted to hire him. He handed department store managers across southern California a resume full of sales experience, but was rejected hundreds of times.
Those rare times when he got a job, he would be fired within days. Along the way, Kelly filed for bankruptcy, lost his apartment, and became homeless. “For years as this went on, I blamed myself — for not being hired for employment, the conditions I went through,” Kelly says. But Kelly’s self-blame turned to anger when he finally learned the real cause of much of his trouble: A man had given Kelly’s identity to authorities when arrested for shoplifting and other crimes, and the tainted profile found its way into a range of computer databases used in background checks by employers.
Kelly’s plight illuminates the growing threats to privacy in an age of ever easier computer access to public information.
Bronti Wayne Kelly, now 33, hardly foresaw the cyber nightmare that would grow from what seemed an old-fashioned wallet snatching in May 1990. He reported to police his wallet only contained $4, along with his driver’s license, Social Security card, and military ID for the air force base in southern California where he served as a reservist. But seven months later, Kelly, a salesman in the Robinson-May department store in Riverside, was ushered into the personnel director’s office and told he had been caught shoplifting by security guards in another Robinson’s. Kelly produced a letter from his air force commanding officer saying that Kelly was on duty when the crime occurred, but he was fired anyway.
He says he was equally confounded by the blur of job rejections that followed, usually with no explanation.
For two years he held on. Kelly’s work as a mechanic at the local air force base earned him about $700 a month. But in June 1993, the six-year reserve stint was up. With no job in sight, Kelly filed for bankruptcy to stave off bill collectors. He was evicted from his apartment in San Bernardino, California.
Kelly stayed with friends until he wore out his welcome. He turned to sleeping in his car, then the streets, using public parking garages downtown to shield him from the elements.
He tried to keep clean using a pool shower at his old apartment complex.
He applied for food stamps and welfare but was rejected because he had no residence or mailing address. He finally landed a job selling clothes at Harris department store in nearby Riverside, but the day before his first day of work he was told that his services were not needed.
Kelly, crying at the news, tried to find out why. The personnel manager told him to contact Stores Protective Association, which exchanges information about employees with more than 100 member retail chains.
Kelly is seeking unspecified damages and a public apology from Robinson-May. Kelly’s problem was far more complicated than he suspected. When Kelly contacted the Los Angeles Police Department to try to straighten things out, he discovered that its records showed he had been arrested five years earlier not only for shoplifting, but for burglary and arson as well.
Kelly submitted his fingerprints to prove to authorities that he was not the accused culprit, that instead the miscreant was another white male who had given Kelly’s identity to police.
The police gave Kelly a “Certificate of Clearance,” which states that the police had determined that Kelly was not the person arrested.
However, Kelly’s identity remains in police files, even though the most serious charges against the impersonator had been dismissed shortly after his arrest in July 1990. Los Angeles police officials say they need the charges on record in case the impostor is arrested for other crimes.
After SPA removed Kelly’s name from its files, he was still rejected from another 50 jobs, and he is still wondering why. One possibility is that the incorrect information continues to haunt him. The problem was spelled out last month after the Associated Press hired an information search company to conduct a search of Kelly’s background. AP simply gave Forefront, a subcontractor to Informus Corp., Kelly’s name, Social Security number, and a $124 check to search state court records in three counties in southern California.
The search came back showing that Kelly had been arrested in July 1990 for arson, theft, and disturbing the peace. But Kelly no longer has to worry. Seven years after his wallet was stolen, he has stopped seeking work among strangers.
Today, he is employed part-time cleaning pools in a family business, and shares an apartment in Temecula, near San Diego, with a roommate who has helped him out financially. Trying to rebuild his self-image, Kelly carries his police certificate clearing him of crimes wherever he goes. One look in the mirror confirms it was not he who dragged down his life. Says Kelly: “A part of me feels very proud.” But just to be sure, he is thinking of changing his name. Bad things can happen to good people, and they do.
I recently was disabled on the job and I filed for disability. After a few days I get a call from the government saying that I cannot qualify for disability benefits because I'm making a six figure income in Florida. I said what!!!??? Two years ago my purse was stolen by another woman. I called all my credit card holders, bank accounts, savings, and loans, credit lines and what not. I failed to call the government offices and especially the IRS. I'm still trying to clear up my name and get my life back. Because she didn’t steal my identity, she stole my life.
I had allowed someone to get between me and my grocery cart that resulted in my purse being stolen. I immediately filed a police report at the store and called my husband to bring me my spare key to the car so I can go home.
I called the bank first to put a hold on accounts. Thief had already emptied them. Next called credit card companies, thief had already used them. This in less than two hours of robbery.
Knowing the thief had my address and keys to home, I could not sleep for fear they would come in and help themselves to my home too. This went on for days until I was able to access money to have locks changed. I hid my car at friend’s homes because even though locks were changed they had keyless entry to get into car just not able to start it.
Then the bad check notification started coming and coming and coming.
Every time I was contacted due to the theft I relived that few days of overwhelming fear, anger, embarrassment, resentment, and complete lack of trust in society. I did shut down for awhile trying to deal with everything. I couldn't believe how much I had to try to convince people over the phone that I am not a crook or scammer. My whole character was ripped into pieces. I am trying to put it behind me, but still will not shop alone.
Steps to avoid Identity theft…from the FTC
Do It Now
“Place passwords on your accounts”
The passwords are the words that your Identity will pass through…the Word of God
Everyday Diligence
“Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or are sure you know who you’re dealing with.”
Know who you are dealing with. Don’t get into a relationship with someone until you know what you are dealing with. Don’t connect your heart to them until you know that their Identity is found in the same place as yours.
(Missionary Dating) (Internet Chat)
Consider Your Computer (Ways)
Haggai 1:2-11 (The Message) "A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: “The people procrastinate. They say this isn’t the right time to rebuild my Temple, the Temple of God.” Shortly after that, God said more and Haggai spoke it: “How is it that it’s the ‘right time’ for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God’s Temple, is in ruins?” And then a little later, God-of-the-Angel-Armies spoke out again: “Take a good, hard look at your life.(NKJV “Consider your ways”) Think it over. You have spent a lot of money, but you haven’t much to show for it. You keep filling your plates, but you never get filled up. You keep drinking and drinking and drinking, but you’re always thirsty. You put on layer after layer of clothes, but you can’t get warm. And the people who work for you, what are they getting out of it? Not much— a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that’s what. That’s why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said: “Take a good, hard look at your life. Think it over.” Then God said: “Here’s what I want you to do: Climb into the hills and cut some timber. Bring it down and rebuild the Temple. Do it just for me. Honor me. You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves, but nothing has come of it. The little you have brought to my Temple I’ve blown away—there was nothing to it. “And why?” (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) “Because while you’ve run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins. That’s why. Because of your stinginess. And so I’ve given you a dry summer and a skimpy crop. I’ve matched your tight-fisted stinginess by decreeing a season of drought, drying up fields and hills, withering gardens and orchards, stunting vegetables and fruit. Nothing—not man or woman, not animal or crop—is going to thrive.” "