Just last week, dozens, if not hundreds, of Langley residents had their debit cards skimmed, thousands of dollars drained out of people’s bank accounts.

If you have ever wondered who are the people behind ‘the crime of the century,’ hear from a former identity thief who plans to speak at a free seminar on Thursday, Nov. 26 at the Langley Events Centre at 7 p.m.

The evening, presented by identity theft expert and author George Greenwood, will also feature victim Alicia McAteer, who, at the age of 18, had her life stolen from her for four years while thieves ruined her credit, and police and ICBC accused her of fraud.

“Knowledge is power and this is firsthand information. Don’t let it happen to you,” said Greenwood, who will be talking about how people can protect themselves.

Guest speaker Ryan Michaels was riding high, using stolen identities to open up accounts to buy electronics and wheeling and dealing with identities he ‘acquired.’ He was writing and cashing cheques with other people’s names on it and creating fake debit and credit cards to withdraw cash that he’d blow on crystal meth and partying.

Most store clerks didn’t question the stolen cards he used, or the fake ID. Even some banks would let him create accounts using a false name. He’d ‘acquire’ people’s IDs with ease.

McAteer is a victim who had her identity stolen from her after her purse was stolen. At the young age of 18, she went from being a normal college student to someone who was racking up bills at a video store she had never been to, causing car crashes with a vehicle she had never driven with ICBC are phoning her accusing her of fraud. When she decided to take a trip to Mexico two years later, she went to take money out of an ATM and found her account was drained.

Her nightmare went on for four years before she truly got her identity back.

The criminal who stole her identity received three months in jail.

Greenwood, in his one-man quest to save people from ID theft, lobbied the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the federal government to put forward law that made identity theft its own crime.

As of October, Bill S-4 recognizes identity theft in the Criminal Code of Canada and makes possession and transportation of someones else’s private information a an indictable offence.

“I’m thrilled about it,” he said of the new law. “A new power will be added permitting the court to order, as part of a sentence, that an offender be required to pay restitution to a victim of identity theft or identity fraud for costs associated with their efforts to rehabilitate their identity, e.g., the cost of replacement cards, documents and correcting their credit history,” he said.

Greenwood authored his first book In Your Good Name: Identity Theft in 2007, offering tips and scenarios to protect the consumer from being a victim of crime and to help businesses become more aware of this increasing popular crime.

But now the finishing touches of his newest book Stolen Lives: Confessions of an Identity Thief and Memories of a Stolen Lives, which features the fascinating stories of Michaels and McAteer. To be clear, Michaels’ crimes didn’t involve McAteer. Their stories are separate, Greenwood stresses.

In doing research for this book and in talking with Michaels, he said there seems to be one common denominator with identity thieves: identity theft is fueled by drug addicts who find this easy crime as addictive as the drugs they are taking, said .Greenwood.

He is extremely proud of Michaels and McAteer for having the courage to tell their important stories.

“Their courage puts a real face on this crime and its victims,” he said.

Greenwood has been putting on free seminars to help people protect themselves against identity theft for the past two years in Langley and other communities. His neighbourhood in Walnut Grove was hit numerous times this summer by mail theft, and he knows firsthand the importance of being proactive in protecting your ID.

“Even those blank cheques your credit card sends in the mail with your statement should be ripped up and shredded,” he said. Many of these types of crimes are what Michaels explains in the book.

Greenwood will be selling copies of his book on Thursday. The seminar is free because two companies, Homelife Benchmark Realty in Walnut Grove and Johnston Meier Insurance in Port Kells, believed in the importance of getting this message out, said Greenwood.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Seminar is located in the banquet room upstairs.

For information, go to www.itcanthappentome.ca or call 604-628-0346.