Identity Change: Is this the Answer to My Financial Woes?
It seemed just like yesterday. I was planning my next vacation, visiting dealerships in search of a new car, and enjoying a wide array of gadgets that made me the envy of my friends and colleagues.
Money was never a problem. I had a good job that sustained my luxurious lifestyle. If only I can say the same now. Two years ago, I was handed down the pink slip. From then on, my life seemed to have spiraled downwards in great speed. Finding a new job became a futile conquest. I have been through numerous interviews that I must have approached the same company twice – maybe thrice – in the hopes that they would finally give in and hire me. Still I failed. Soon, all my savings started to disappear as I tried to cope with all my bills.
The mortgage and the car loan took a big bulk of the little money that I have set aside. I had to rely on my credit card for my food needs. With no money coming in, I am now officially buried in debt. The banks are after me, so are the private lenders and friends that I have loaned from just to finance my basic needs.
Close family and friends have advised me to file for bankruptcy, which I probably would soon. However, I know that it still will not give me a long-term solution as it may only result to a reorganized payment plan. Further, filing for bankruptcy will leave a long negative mark on my credit records. If I get lucky and be able to find a new job soon, acquiring new credit cards and loans would be a challenge with a bankruptcy history.
This makes me tiptoe on another possible solution, which is to change identity. An identity change will provide me a clean slate to start over again. There would be no bad credit history to haunt me. Most of all, it will give me freedom from the torment and humiliation that my creditors are giving me. With a new name comes a new life.
I will be able to walk under the noses of these collectors without being harassed and finally may be able to sleep soundly at night again. There is just one catch. To change identity is not as easy as it seems to be in movies. Yes, I can easily go by another name but having the same social security number will still attach me to my old life. With our social security numbers easily traced in computer systems, collecting agents will soon be knocking on my door again even if I transfer to another state or live in a cottage by the mountains.
Worse, getting caught changing my identity can wound me up in prison. Jail time and a pile of debt on my name – that definitely is a far deeper pit than where I am now. I guess I have no choice for now but consider filing for bankruptcy. Who knows, my luck might change in the next couple of months and finally haul me out of this mess I am in. An identity change may seem like the perfect solution, but it really is nothing but wishful thinking.
Even if I pull it off, the legal system may catch after me one day and make me pay a higher price.
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