“I am _________________ ”

     

      

What are 8 -10 things that are true about you?

     

Quick.

Off the top of your head. 

     

Don’t overthink this. 

     

Jot them down. 

     

Keep them nearby. 

I’ll ask about them later. 

Stolen Identity

Has your identity ever been stolen?

 

Once my wallet was stolen.

From the church choir room, no less!

     

I didn’t have any financial fallout, thank You, God.

But I did have the annoyance and frustration of canceling my credit cards, changing my bank account, and getting a new driver’s license (and we all know how the DMV “works.”

And, of course, getting a new wallet!

Identity Theft Today

Some quick facts about Identity Theft:

      

From Identity Theft USA: 

Identity (ID) theft happens when someone steals your personal information to commit fraud.

     

From Alison Grace Johansen (Norton): 

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes and affects millions of Americans every year. Protecting your personal information to avoid becoming another victim of identity theft requires education and awareness.

 

The problem with ID theft is that it often doesn’t become apparent until it’s too late.

     

That’s why it’s important to keep an eye out for ID theft red flags.

     

From Taylor Schulte (Define Financial):

There were 4.8 million identity theft and credit card fraud reports to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2020, resulting in a $4.5 Billion total loss.

     

The true number of people affected by identity theft is unclear. The National Center for Victim Research reports 7 – 10% of the US adult population are victims of identity theft every year.

        

Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud Statistics 2022

Targets of Identity Theft

In The Many Different Forms of Identity Theft (Experian) by Marianne Hayes identifies sixteen (16) different types of Identity Theft.

     

These include the usual – debit card fraud or credit card fraud; driver’s license identity theft; mail identity theft, online shopping fraud, social security number identity theft, and senior identity theft and scams..

      

Plus a few I hadn’t considered – account takeover fraud, child identity theft, tax identity theft, biometric ID theft, synthetic identity theft (totally new to me), medical identity theft, mortgage fraud (not merely on the mortgage application), home title fraud, lost or stolen passport, and internet-of-things identity fraud (another new one!).

Methods of Identity Theft

Methods of Identity Theft include the usual suspect – the lost or stolen wallet (!).  

     

Other methods include – Cyberattacks, such as, Insecure Online Data; Phishing, “when a cybercriminal pretends to be a trusted entity so the target will click a link in an email, text message, or chat message”; Smishing, impersonating “trusted organizations or even friends to trick victims into divulging information”; Vishing, using “promises, like the offer of a prize, or threats, such as the risk of not getting a tax refund, to prompt victims into giving up personal information”; or Doxing, when obtains a victim’s personal information and then threatens to publish it online unless the victim performs certain desired actions ; Physical Attacks, such as “device theft, document theft, improper disposal of documents, and skimming devices”;

Your True Identity:

The Importance of Self Identity 

For those of you who jotted down some notes about yourself, look at them now.

      

For those of you who didn’t write anything down …

      

Go ahead. Do it now.

Just open your phone Notes app.

Ask yourself – Who am I?

And write it down.

Easy.

     

     

So …

     

How do we identify ourself?

• We can identify ourself by gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship. 
• We can identify ourself by appearance: height, weight, color of our hair, our eyes, our skin. 
• We can identify ourself by our family, our ancestors, our position in our family dynamics. 
• We can identify ourself by our allegiances, our partnerships, our privileges through certifications, symbols, secret greetings. 
• We can identify ourself by our occupation, our profession, our status, our reputation, our influence.

     

     

Growing up, we learn who is popular, and who is not.

    

We learn who is a bully, and who will stand up to a bully.

 

We learn who is dependable, and who is unreliable.

 

     

And we learn who we are by how we relate to others and how they relate to us. 

Who Do You Think You Are?

How well do you know yourself?

     

Get the notes you jotted down. 

Look them over. 

     

Which ones are Mind?

• What are your mental and intellectual abilities?
• How is your mental health?
• How is your emotional stability?

      

Which ones are Body?

• How do you look?
  • To yourself?
  • To others?
• How do you move in space?
  • Gracefully?
  • Awkwardly?

       

Which ones are Spirit?

• How is your relationship with the Father?
• The Son?
• The Holy Spirit?

 

Are more of them in one area than the others?

     

Is one area missing?

     

Are you surprised at the breakdown?

Are You Who You Think You Are?  

In your life today:

• Which “truths” about yourself do you think are important?

 

From the view of eternity:

• Which parts of your “truth” are important?

     

     

The Greek definition of Truth:

alétheia

     

alétheia²²⁵ truth, but not merely truth as spoken; truth of idea, reality, sincerity, truth in the moral sphere, divine truth revealed to man, straightforwardness.

     

alḗtheia²²⁵ (from alēthḗs²²⁷, “true to fact”) – properly, truth (true to fact), reality.

(In ancient Greek culture, (alḗtheia²²⁵) was synonymous for “reality” as the opposite of illusion, i.e. fact.)

     

Truth, as understood in Greek, is reality, actual fact, not false or a delusion (or a covert conspiracy!).

Truth in the New Testament, in the Greek, is more than something being said (or being found on the internet) and taken as “true.”

Truth in both the Old Testament (TaNaK) and the New Testament, is God’s revealed Truth, Truth as revealed in the words of YHVH, found in the words of Scripture.

Has Your True Identity Been Stolen?

How has your perception of yourself changed as you’ve grown?

     

For the better? 

Or for the worse?

     

     

For many people, as child, the image of themself was positive, full of potential and possibility. 

 

Unfortunately, growing up, many times this self-perception is demeaned, diminished, denied, and even destroyed, by the voices of other people speaking falsehood and lies into our lives. 

     

Moreover, there are the lies we tell ourself.

When the little voice in our head repeats those lies and judgments from others, and we believe them.

     

And, usually, adding some more for “good” measure.  

     

Have you ever been called:

• A Failure? 
• A Nothing? 
• Worthless? 
• Valueless? 
• A piece of trash?

      

Have you ever told yourself you are:

• Unlovable? 
• Unworthy? 
• Without Value? 
• Guilty? 
• Shameful? 
• Rejected? 
• Alone? 
• Unable to be Forgiven? 
• A Sinner beyond Salvation? 

The Theft of the Christian Identity

Are you letting falsehood have power over your life?

      

More on ID Theft: Recovery …

… next time.

     

     

Blessings,

    

TLThomas

MyWordOnTheWord

     

    

It’s ok to doubt, if you check it out!

Be a Berean!

¹⁰ The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.                                                  Acts 17:10-11 NASB

     

Please join me in this journey of discovery.

• Leave a comment, or ask me a question.
• Share this blog with others, whether they are doubting, or not.
• Take what I say and CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF! 

© TLThomas 2022