SEQUIM — All it took was one betrayal to make a believer out of Marni Rice.
The 53-year-old Port Angeles resident was living in southern California in 1997 when a bank check card was lifted from her mailbox and, through an error at her main branch, activated for unrestrained use by the thief who took it.
It was a $2,700 lesson that changed her way of thinking about protecting not only personal safety, but the integrity of her financial well-being.
Rice was one of more than 200 who attended a seminar Friday aimed at educating elderly consumers about the perils of a modern-day crime: identity fraud and theft.
Sponsored by AARP, the state Attorney General’s Office and Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, the session at Sequim High School served a dual purpose of recruiting volunteers for a campaign called “Fraud Fighters” — individuals who will network among neighbors, co-workers, fellow church members and others to spread the message that one of the most valuable and vulnerable possessions one has is his or her identity.
Vigilance against thieves
Rice’s experience taught her to be vigilant in many respects, she said.
“If you’re a thief or a bad guy, it’s nothing at all to spend 15 to 20 minutes looking up someone’s name and address (and) sitting in front of your house posing as a utility worker,” Rice said.