It takes a lifetime to build a reputation.
It takes a thief seconds to steal an identity and destroy a name.
Judith Collins knows how it feels to be impersonated by a criminal and have her identity tarnished by an invisible thief.
Collins, the director of MSU Identity Theft Partnerships in Prevention, understands how difficult it is to cleanse a name that has been infected by the epidemic of identity theft.
She's among the millions of people annually who have had their names forged and reputations destroyed without even knowing it.
In a world of passwords, PIN numbers and databases, Collins fears that identity theft is emerging as "the crime of the 21st century."
Collins, an associate professor in the School of Criminal Justice, was abruptly introduced to identity theft when she became a victim in 1999. Her personal experience with the crime sparked her interest in understanding predators and preventing others from becoming victims.
Today, Collins' identity-theft programs are recognized worldwide, and MSU is considered a groundbreaking institution in researching the quickly evolving crime.
"We know how devastating this can be for victims, especially since we've seen very sad cases come into our laboratory," said Collins, who studied white-collar crimes for more than a decade before she became a victim. "Our motivation is to help these people and to combat identity theft."
The laboratory confronts identity theft from several directions - research, counseling, training law enforcement, consulting businesses on prevention, assisting in investigations and making people aware of the growing problem.
Each year, the number of victims grows exponentially as thieves become more sophisticated at hunting down vulnerable personal information.
In 2001, at least 1 million identities were stolen, and an estimated 1.7 million are expected to be stolen in 2005, according to Federal Trade Commission reports.
Those identities will be sold and resold on the black market as criminals use the fraudulent information to steal money, deflect blame for violent crimes and even engage in terrorism. In the process, businesses and consumers will lose billions of dollars at the hands of these thieves.
If Collins and MSU's team of identity-theft researchers has its say, these thieves will be stopped in their tracks.
"We work with identity theft daily," Collins said. "We know the crime and the victim - and we can be helpful."
Collins' story: Facing the crime
For many victims, the nightmare of facing identity theft begins with an alarming phone call or mailing from the fraud department of a financial institution.
Soon, they are forced to encounter the arduous task of clearing their names in a world where the crime and its perpetrators hide behind codes and databases.
In early 1999, Capital One Financial Corp. called Collins to find out if she, indeed, had applied for a credit card. The call startled Collins, who quickly began looking for answers.
"I hadn't heard of identity theft before and I didn't know what to do," said Collins, who began researching and teaching at MSU in 1998. "Right away, I contacted the police department."
Knowing that a Colton, Calif., address had been created in her name, Collins contacted the East Lansing and Lansing police departments. Neither department would assist her because the crime had occurred in California - far from their jurisdictions.
"I was up around the clock for 48 hours on the telephone long- distance to California trying to track down 14050 Cherry Avenue," she said.
Officers in Colton told her the address didn't exist there, but to check nearby Riverside, Calif. After contacting five police agencies trying to file her complaint, she learned that the address matched a post office box in Fontana, Calif.
"No one would help me," she said. "The Fontana Police Department told me that identity theft was not a crime."
With the information about the post office drop in California, Collins, alone, began investigating her own identity theft.
Six months later, she had gathered enough information to uncover a five-state identity-theft ring that extended from Minnesota to California. She forwarded her research to the Secret Service, which took on her case.
The criminals who stole Collins' identity opened about a dozen credit cards in her name from Ohio to Hawaii. Most were started online.
The Secret Service did not reveal to Collins the fate of the thieves.
At one point, Collins traveled to Fontana, where she visited the post office box fraudulently opened in her name. She told the manager that she had come to pick up her mail.
"She said, 'You're not Judith Collins,' and I said, 'Oh yeah, I am. Here is my driver's license, my MSU identification; I'm Judith Collins,'" the professor recalled.
The manager described the Collins who visited the post office box as a "tall, slender black woman who wears designer clothing."
"I got her description down to the penny," Collins said. "She has artificial nails and her hair is perfect."
Later, she returned with a police officer and found that a great deal of merchandise, including magazines and clothing from Victoria's Secret, had been delivered.
"I came to be very curious about identity-theft criminals," said Collins, who began to shift the focus of her research to identity crimes. "What kind of people would do this type of thing?"
As she began researching the crime in its infancy, other victims started calling her for help.
In most cases, financial institutions cover charges made on a victim's account. However, some cases are complicated by thieves who give stolen identification to police when they are arrested or cited with traffic violations.
For many, the frustrating process of regaining an identity involves hours of work contacting authorities and financial institutions to clear a name.
"I got involved with identity theft because of the theft of my own identity, and I can tell you a little about the emotions that go along with that," Collins said.
Within a year of her own victimization, Collins started MSU's Identity Theft Partnerships in Prevention. Since, Collins has worked to take the lead in helping people to understand this invisible crime.
The Identity Theft Laboratory
On MSU's vast campus exists a safe haven for victims of identity theft. Here, victims meet with identity-theft specialists to learn about the crime while receiving counseling.
The laboratory is the site of expansive research targeted at breaking down identity-theft predators and learning about trends in the phenomenon.
"You will not find any other initiative like this at any other university in the United States," Collins said. "This is truly one of a kind."
On the prevention side, the laboratory has partnered with businesses like General Motors Corp. and financial institutions to train employees and evaluate the security of their databases.
At any given time, up to a dozen faculty and students staff MSU's identity-theft programs.
"We started seeing victims, and we learned a lot from victims, and then we started training law enforcement officers on how to use a tracking system that I used to uncover my perpetrator," she said.
Among the lab's biggest achievements was the development of the Online Criminal Tracking and Investigative System, which allows law enforcement worldwide to communicate about suspected identity-theft rings.
MSU's research has shown that identity thieves typically work in rings that span several cities. The database lets investigators connect identity crimes occurring worldwide.
More than 400 law enforcement officials have been trained by MSU in investigating identity-theft cases and working with victims. At least 200 victims have visited the laboratory since it opened in 1999 to seek help in regaining their identities.
In 1999, Sandra Hoffman learned that her son was a victim of identity theft. While investigating her son's case, Hoffman came across Collins' research at MSU.
Hoffman's son, Jason, who graduated from MSU in December, was away at school when a bank reported the theft.
"Back when my son's identity was stolen, it wasn't taken seriously," said Hoffman, now the associate director of MSU's program. "It wasn't thought of as a crime. There was no place to turn to for help if you were a victim.
"I ended up investigating my son's case and was able to track down the perpetrator."
As she searched the Internet looking for answers, she learned about MSU's program. "No one was talking prevention, and Michigan State was," she said.
Hoffman e-mailed Collins to thank her for leading MSU's research into the growing problem. "She called me that day, so I went to campus and met with her and never left," Hoffman said.
"In both cases, we did our own investigations, gathered information and were able to get enough information to get the attention of the Secret Service. Shortly thereafter, we met each other."
Together, Collins and Hoffman have authored two books on identity theft and a third is in progress. A year ago, Hoffman became associate director of the program.
"I knew we were way ahead from day one," she said. "We understood the crime, what it means and how it happens."
Coordinating to combat the crime
Collins and Hoffman aren't working alone to solve the growing epidemic of identity theft.
On the national level, the Federal Trade Commission is informing consumers about risks that lead to identity theft. Businesses and government entities, too, are training workers and implementing tactics to defend against identity theft.
Closer to home, the State Police and individual law enforcement agencies are beginning to give credence to the severity of the problem. Often, Collins says, officers lack the resources to successfully investigate identity-theft cases.
East Lansing police Capt. Juli Liebler said her department has enlisted detectives in training sessions at MSU to enhance its ability to address these cases. Police are more capable of handling cases of identity theft than they were five years ago.
"If and when we do get a complaint, we'll use both online and off-line resources to try and track down the offender," Liebler said.
The lab's resources, including the database, are giving officers more options for tracking down offenders.
Michigan Attorney General Michael Cox is among those beginning to understand the complexity and broad implications of identity theft. His office, for the second consecutive year, has listed identity theft among the most common complaints by Michigan residents.
"It takes a lot to get somebody's identity back," said Matt Davis, a spokesman for Cox. "There are people who are honest and hardworking all their lives - they've never been late on a library book - but once their identity is stolen, it is very hard to get their lives back."
In hope of easing the path for victims to regain their identities, the state Senate passed the Identity Theft Protection Act in late 2003. The legislation is designed to make it easier for law enforcement to work outside its jurisdiction in investigating identity-theft cases.
Still, Collins remains optimistic that awareness of identity theft will continue to rise on the state and federal levels.
In the years ahead, Collins said that federal officials must recognize the connection between identity theft and other crimes, including money laundering, organized crime, drug trafficking, homicides and burglaries.
"Working with law enforcement, we stay very close to the crime and the new methods that criminals are using and how the crime is evolving," said Collins, who recently began researching connections between identity theft and terrorism.
And Collins has no plan to let up on her quest to make people understand the evils of identity theft.
"I am passionate about it," she said. "I've been a victim and I understand it."
Steve Eder is The State News projects reporter. He can be reached at ederstev@msu.edu.
