Collection Synthesis

Our collection consists of voided checks, written and signed by their owners. The collection is an examination of the mind of a thief, utilizing his work position to gather checks from unsuspecting people and the using those checks to maintain a life style much finer than any he could alone afford. The collection is a plan to highlight the information localized on the check itself, providing thieves with information. Not only bank account information, but personal information that can be used to exploit the victims.

Our collector is one Sean White, a college drop out who is utilizing his job position at a few different locations to steal checks to further his own goals. Though he has dependents, he doesn't steal to make their lives better, only his own. His collection would be interesting to the people from whom he has stolen, the police, and other identity thieves.

Money generated by part-time job goes to his child support and drinking and gambling. Lacking the drive to pursue an actual career, Sean has turned to Check Fraud. He maintains a college student life style, living in a single person apartment, though he splurges on fancy appliances (car, speakers, computer)as he likes to own nice things. If not readily apparent, Sean is interested the get rich quick schemes. Often, he gambles and bets in an attempt to increase his income, though he rarely pays his debts, and having avoided the law so far, Sean has proven capable in avoiding the repercussions of his debt. Using his position at work, Sean is able to copy down information from voided checks, providing him with billing addresses, license numbers, signatures, and account information.

Our intent is to deal with the idea that a single common document can provide enough information to disrupt your life. A check is a unique document as it contains your bank information, your personal information, and even a small glimpse into your personal life. Does you check has a picture of a car on it? Is it blank? Personalization of checks suggest something about the person who owns the check. Still, checks are still an acceptable form of payment. People willing hand their checks over at stores, along with their license, providing potential thieves both the opportunity and the materials to steal.

Do we expect people to stop using checks? Certainly not. However, we simply wish to make people aware of the dangers of identity theft. The average number of hours victims spend repairing the damage caused by identity theft is 330 hours. Identity theft is on the rise, affecting almost 10 million victims in 2008. ID theft can happen to anyone, and it can come in all shapes and sizes. For example, your credit card digits could be stolen and used to make online purchases; a thief could impersonate you to open up a loan in your name; a felon could commit a crime and pretend to be you when caught; or someone could use your personal information to apply for a job. More than one third of victims report that identity thieves committed check account fraud.