AllMovie

Based on a true story (and all the more terrifying because of it!), this made for cable movie begins as Michelle Brown (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) fills out an ordinary rental form. Looking on enviously is penniless Connie Volkos (Annabella Sciorra), who can't understand why there are "haves" and "have-nots" in the world (but who has never put in the necessary work to become a "have"). When Michelle briefly lays down her credit card, it is stolen by Connie--who subsequently steals Michelle's identity as well, toting up $50,000 in purchases in Michelle's name. When Michelle tries to have Connie arrested, she finds herself at the mercy of the blind-deaf-dumb American credit system and is herself accused of theft! Desperate to win back her reputation (not to mention her own name!), Michelle pleads her cast before the US Senate in July of 2000, resulting--belatedly in her case--in the passage of bill HR 1731, with imposes stronger penalties for stealing one's identity and puts in tighter safeguards against people being victimized by such thieves. Even so, the film underlines the sobering fact that what happened to Michelle happens to someone else at a rate of once every six minutes! Identity Theft: The Michelle Brown Story debuted November 1, 2004 on the Lifetime channel.