Identity theft is considered one of the biggest scams facing British Columbians, but it appears the court system isn't responding with tougher sentences to match.
Earlier this week the man at the centre of this massive identity theft bust in Surrey was released from jail after only spending six-months behind bars for his crimes.
That news comes as no surprise to Alicia McAteer. She spent four years trying to clear her name after having her identity stolen. Her offender only got three-months in jail.
"It's just so frustrating because they could do so much to me, trying to charge me with all these things,'' she said. "But then when they find the person who did it they don't even go through half the hassle that I went through."
Experts and police say more often than not the sentence being given to identity theft offenders does not match the gravity of the crime.
Click on the link for more information on how to protect yourself against ID theft.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Stephen Smart.
