We often talk about cyber security as a way to prevent other people from accessing your personal information, but what can you do if the worst actually happens? That’s what David Lazarus had to find out after someone used his social security number. Lazarus, who writes the Consumer Confidential column for the LA Times (and is a guest host at Marketplace), first reported on Derrick Davis, the man who took his identity, back in 2007. Ten years later, Lazarus found himself writing about Davis again after he heard from a debt collector, who was trying to track down Davis for unpaid medical bills. 

“It really highlights the nature of identity theft,” said Lazarus in an interview with Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal. “Once your information gets out there, there are thousands of databases where this erroneous information gets into.”

Click the audio player above to hear the full interview.