Tom Lesh has been suffering from identity theft before it even had a name. In July of this year, the man who had been using Lesh's identity since the 1970s was finally caught. And Lesh's relief was palpable.

Lesh always suspected who had stolen his personal information. Clark Mower, a friend of Lesh's brother who had a warrant out for his arrest, used Lesh's name, Social Security number, date of birth and more. Mower used this personal information to apply for a Washington driver's license, to get a job (thereby passing the background check and skipping out on paying taxes), to buy an 18-wheeler (which drove Lesh's credit straight into the ground), to obtain medical services, and more. Lesh has spent more than half of his life dealing with ruined credit, placing fraud alerts and proving to the IRS that he didn't owe Mower's back taxes. Lesh estimates he had spent thousands of hours writing to his creditors and government agencies to try to reclaim his identity.

Mower faces up to five years in prison for aggravated identity theft. 

The basic problem: An identity thief is using your entire suite of personal information for his own benefit.

How to avoid this problem: Unfortunately, friends and family often have easy access to your financial records, SSN and personal facts like mother's maiden name and the town where you grew up. Make sure you keep this information as private as possible, and only share it with the people you trust the most. 

If you do fall victim to "friendly" identity theft, be as proactive as possible in filing fraud alerts with the credit bureaus, filing police reports, alerting the FTC and monitoring your credit. It will be frustrating and it will take time, but it's your only chance against a ruined credit record.  

Additional resources for resolving "friendly" identity theft:

Identity Theft Recovery Kit

Identity Theft Resource Center

FTC Identity Theft Guide