Linda Foley wears many hats in her work as an advocate for identity theft victims: counselor, public speaker, expert, research librarian, chairman of the board and writer number among her duties. Though most people might joke that it would help if there were two of her, Foley knows all too well she wouldn't want it that way. In fact, it was the theft of her identity by someone she trusted that started her down this path.
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Foley is very candid about the emotional turmoil she went through in healing from this crime, arriving at the end a changed person. Instead of remaining the victim, she turned the tables on her thief and had her locked up, then focused her attention on helping others.
Serendipitously, it's almost as though the crime couldn't have happened to a better-suited person: "I always feel that we're given certain experiences in life to prepare us for the next place we're going. And all of the experiences that I've had -- an extensive background in writing, teaching, personnel -- have given me insight into the skills that I need for the job that I have right now," she says.
In 1999, Foley founded the Identity Theft Resource Center, which works collaboratively with other victim advocates and law enforcement, and is a member of the California Financial Crimes Investigators Association.
Foley has agreed to help spread the identity theft message to Bankrate readers.
| -- Posted: April 21, 2008 |
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