Meth addiction and identity theft

Police in Rochester, Washington held a public forum recently and reinforced the connection between identity theft and addiction to methamphetamines:

Identity theft worse; don't let yourself be yet another victim

“Rochester is kind of unique: They not only steal your garbage, but your entire garbage can,” said detective Sgt. Jim Dunn in discussing new kinds of identity theft. He and detective Roland Weiss described the many kinds of identity crimes, including a woman with a baby stroller loading up from mailboxes she passes.

Our state is eighth in the nation for identity theft and it’s an exploding problem, they said.

And, chillingly, they linked the high incidence here to another huge crime problem we have in Lewis and Thurston counties and surrounding areas — methamphetamine use and abuse. Meth users not only need the money they obtain from identity theft to finance their drug addiction, when they are high on it they find new and clever ways to steal, Dunn said.

You’ve heard of meth labs — now there’s identify theft labs, temporary quarters found in hotel rooms, for example, where all the tools needed for buying, selling and exchanging personal information have been found.

Thanks to Identity Theft Spy for the link.