The betrayal came from closer than anyone could have imagined.
Axton Betz-Hamilton had lived much of her life haunted by the specter of identify theft. First her parents, then herself, were beset by fear, paranoia and anxiety that left deep scars on their lives. They cut themselves off from outsiders, friends and family. Their credit was ruined.
Only much later did Betz-Hamilton learn the truth. Her mother was behind it the entire time.
Now a professor of consumer affairs specializing in identity theft at South Dakota State University, Betz-Hamilton turned her personal hell into a memoir on the nature of identity theft and the despair caused by those closest to you. "The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity," tells the story of her childhood and early adulthood, how identify theft shaped who she is and how she uncovered the person behind all of the pain.
The book won the 2020 Edgar Award, present by the Mystery Writers of America, for best fact crime.
"In writing the book, I hope that people see how easy it is to be manipulated by someone in a position of trust, like a family member. That manipulation can make you blind to what is going on," said Betz-Hamilton, a native of Portland, Indiana.
She will share her story and the experience writing the book during a special virtual program with the Johnson County Public Library on April 7. In anticipation on that event, she shared some of her thoughts about the book and her life with the Daily Journal.
<strong>What was the idea behind writing this book?</strong>
"I wanted to write this book mainly to let other victims who are experiencing what I experienced know that they’re not alone. One of the things that I’ve encountered when I do research with victims of identity theft when the offender is a family member is, they feel alone. There are a lot of people out there who are experiencing this and we’re not talking about this enough as a society."
<strong>How did you get started writing it?</strong>
"I started the book shortly after my mom passed away. I use ‘book’ as a loose word, because it was 20,000 words on a Word document on my laptop. It was jumbled seas; I’d find out something about my mom, and I’d try to write that but also write that and write what things were like before, so I wouldn’t lose the feeling of not knowing what those perceptions were like."
<strong>Did you think this was going to turn into a book?</strong>
"I thought someday, when I earned tenure, I’d self-publish this. It was a little side project."
<strong>When did that change?</strong>
"The Criminal podcast asked me to do an interview in 2016. I didn’t know Criminal had a following, I didn’t even know what a podcast was. I didn’t think anyone would listen to it. But I did it anyway, and I was really wrong. Afterwards, I was getting emails from all over the world from different victims and from different media outlets who also wanted me to do an interview."
<strong>How then did that lead to the book?</strong>
"One of the emails was from a literary agent. I had said on the podcast one throw-away line, that I started trying to write a book about this. The agent said she was interested in seeing what I’d written, and was interested in representing me."
<strong>As you were writing the book, what did you uncover about identity theft?</strong>
"My book really focuses on my personal experience. I started talking to several friends of my mom’s and extended family who we were forbidden from talking to, because my mom gave plausible reasons why they would be behind the identify theft. So I started asking hard questions."
<strong>What did you learn from that?</strong>
"My mom liked to invent stories. My mom’s friend said that it was almost that she liked the drama, that it sounded good. For example, she told her friend that I married my ancient history professor, which her friend believed. I never even took ancient history. Stuff like that. It was a lot of made-up stuff."
<strong>Since the book came out, what has the response been?</strong>
"Getting emails from people around the world, lots of victims that are glad that I shared my story, because it’s something they can read and identify with. Maybe it gives them a glimmer of hope that someday, things will get better and you really can recover from identity theft with a family member."
<strong>What do you hope that people who read your book take away from it?</strong>
"If you know someone who is a victim or you are a victim, it is possible to recover. One way to recover is to use your experience to help other people."
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
<strong>Axton Betz-Hamilton</strong>
What: A virtual author visit through the Johnson County Public Library to discuss Betz-Hamilton’s book "The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity."
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
How to take part: The visit is free and open to the public. Register at <a href="http://pageafterpage.org/authors-at-jcpl">pageafterpage.org/authors-at-jcpl</a>.
How to buy the book: Order it from Wild Geese Bookshop in Franklin at wildgeesebookshop.com.
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