Car Keys?

David….if you haven't gone through it, then you don't know how bad it is. You know how I found out? I applied for a CPL and got denied. When I asked why, then oh the fun started. I had my name and SSN used for a criminal case back then (when I was around 17) and I am a permanent aliases on her criminal record. She was thankfully fingerprinted for that crime when she used my name. While she never used my name again, she went on to have a long history of jail time. Due to her, I found out why for 15 years I couldn't get hired at any bank. Because according to their "background checks" I was a convicted felon who enjoyed beating up her SO. Yeah, so you know what? IT DOES SUCK. I will NEVER have a job where a background check is done without me being able to say "Please, this isn't me". You know how long it took me to go from agency to agency, trying to get people to listen to me? No, you don't.

Don't mock me. It affected me badly and shook me off my foundation. Criminal ID theft is considerably worse than ID theft involving money. It is your name, your identity. It is who you are. As for deaths of children and sexual assault? What do you even know about me, to assume I have never felt the pain of life?

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I think it's fair to say we all have different tolerance to risk. David leaves his house unlocked, I don't feel safe leaving keys anywhere near my car or a garage door opener in it. And we live in the same state! :)

Dena: But it's a big state. There are absolutely trailheads in the Anchorage Hillside and along Turnagin Arm where I'd be much more careful about car keys and, more so, leaving a car after-hours or leaving any desirable items in view.

Sarah, it sounds like a horrible experience, far more invasive, long-lasting and less resolved than the various times I've had IDs stolen, credit cards compromised, funds wrongly transferred from my back account, or my common name mistaken for debtors and criminals.

>"(ID theft) is beyond one of the worst things you can have happen to your self."
>"As for deaths of children and sexual assault? What do you even know about me, to assume I have never felt the pain of life?"

I assumed, charitably, that you hadn't experienced those traumas. It's the only way I could get my head around the first statement.

But to have lost a child and still hold that view? I don't mock that value system. I abhor it.

I have not had the experience Sarah has, but her experience is a good reminder to think about such risks. I am amazed at the web forums that still demand a birthdate when you sign up. Does anybody give them the correct birth date?

I leave my "other" keys and cards at home, and only take the one car key, cash, and a debit and credit card. I take those with me on the backpack, as they don't weigh much. They are in a zip lock bag, my backpacking wallet. I hadn't thought to strip out the vehicle registration, insurance card, and garage door opener. Its worth thinking about. I have had my car broken into once, and it was a quick search for loose gear.