My Family Stole My Identity

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "My Family Stole My Identity"

Podcast: We’re All Insane
Host: Devorah Roloff
Guest: Renata
Episode Date: March 23, 2026

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Overview

In this deeply personal episode, guest Renata shares her harrowing and inspiring story of surviving child identity theft at the hands of her own family in Brazil. She describes how, starting at age six, her identity was used to open companies, eventually leading to over $400,000 in debt and years of legal and emotional battles. The episode details her childhood, the psychological toll of unknowingly inheriting massive debts, her fight to reclaim her name, and how she turned her pain into advocacy—helping other victims and raising global awareness about child identity theft and financial abuse.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Childhood & Family Dynamics

• Background: Grew up in Porto Alegre, Brazil, with a twin sister, Rafaela, and a close-knit community of divorced women raising their children together, which created a strong, supportive environment. [01:19]
• Mother’s Role: Renata’s mother was loving but trapped in an abusive relationship, described as a person with “no voice” in Renata’s memories. Her eventual independence is symbolized by painting her nails bright red—something previously forbidden—a lasting symbol for strength for Renata. [06:14]

2. The Moment of Identity Theft

• Signing Away Herself: At age 6, a family member took her and her sister to a government agency, where she was told it was “a cool thing” and about becoming responsible, not knowing she was signing an official document (Brazilian CPF). [03:53]
• Quote:
  • “I was learning how to write and I was like, so nervous to sign my name in this document...and I made a mistake...And I signed my life away at the time, and I had no idea.” (Renata, 04:54)

3. Signs of Trouble: Growing Up with Debt You Don’t Understand

• Strange Letters & Visitors: From early childhood, Renata received numerous official letters in her name and witnessed men arriving to claim belongings due to unresolved debts (“government officials looking for things that I owed”). [08:35]
• Innocence & Confusion: She dreamt the letters were from a prince, not realizing the gravity—initially thinking it was just "adult things." [09:30]
• Quote:
  • “I used to dream that it was a prince writing to me...I would open [the letters] and just find a bunch of numbers and words that made no sense to me...” (Renata, 09:17)

4. Learning the Truth: An Identity Stolen

• Discovery at 12: Realized she was unique among peers by receiving these letters, confronted mother. Learned that two businesses (a pizzeria and a ceramic shop) were opened in her name by a family member, with her mother’s coerced authorization. [12:14]
• Legal System Failure: Despite obvious evidence that Renata was a child at the time, courts declared “there is no precedent” to clear her name. [25:35]
• Quote:
  • “Hearing that I was already in trouble, it broke me. I entered into a severe, deep depression at 12.” (Renata, 15:34)
  • “Identity theft is a crime where the victim is guilty until you can prove that you were not.” (Renata, 15:16)

5. Psychological Consequences: Depression and Anorexia

• Impact: The loss of innocence and the overwhelming injustice led to severe depression and later, anorexia as a means of trying to regain some control over her life. [16:50]
• Mother’s Support: Her mother acted quickly to get her psychological help, which eventually helped her recover by age 16. [23:09]
• Quote:
  • “I felt betrayed by the people that were supposed to protect me.” (Renata, 15:59)
  • “I lost control of my identity... so it was a need to control what I can control.” (Renata, 21:02)

6. Legal Limbo: Life as a ‘Financial Ghost’

• Repeated Asset Seizures: On turning 18, all her assets were repeatedly seized via court orders. She describes becoming a “financial ghost,” unable to own anything in her own name. [33:00]
• Quote:
  • “I had no rights to my own name because whatever I would do, they would take it.” (Renata, 33:04)

7. Escape and Rebuilding: Moving to South Africa

• Fresh Start: At 21, pursued a journalism internship in South Africa and met her husband. The Brazilian debts could not touch her abroad, giving her a new chance at adulthood. [36:42]
• Quote:
  • “For the first time I could have a name...Just to have a bank account...it's such a basic thing, isn’t it?” (Renata, 41:45)

8. Transformation: Turning Pain into Purpose

• Meaningful Action: Built a new life in Cape Town; moved by the plight of unregistered children, led a campaign to build a house for a local “mama” sheltering abandoned kids. She saw the power of identity documents and fought to help others get theirs. [53:05]
• Quote:
  • “Your ID number is not just that. It’s who you are in society... and that resonated with me in a way that I can't even explain to you.” (Renata, 51:05)

9. Ongoing Struggle: The Fight for Justice

• Final Clearance: After many years, her mother and grandfather paid off the debts, finally clearing her name at age 27, just before her wedding. She chose not to change her surname in honor of her long struggle for her identity. [64:28]
• Quote:
  • “I fought too much for this to be done and for me to be me and be Renata...” (Renata, 64:51)

10. Advocacy and Awareness

• Docu-film & Movement: Helped create a documentary (“1 in 50”) and founded the movement “Children Without Debt” to push legal reform in Brazil. [65:40]
• Staggering Prevalence: Found over 100 other Brazilian victims; child identity theft often starts at home and is perpetuated by systemic loopholes and lack of recognition.
• Global Issue: Child identity theft is also rampant in the US—1 in 50 children’s identities are stolen each year, usually by family; most go unreported due to stigma and fear. [70:58]
• Quote:
  • “In Brazil, the civil code permits parents to use their child’s names... and that is a violation of human rights.” (Renata, 31:57, 67:00)

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Memorable Quotes & Emotional Moments

• On her mother’s independence:
  “She painted her nails bright red. And every week she’ll go to the saloon and she’ll paint her nails bright red... now when I do that, my husband looks at me and say, 'Oh, she’s ready to fight.'” (Renata, 06:37)

• On betrayal and misunderstanding:
  “It was just me dealing with this realization of what had happened to me. The betrayal.” (Renata, 22:59)

• On the system’s failure:
  “The judge said... ‘there is no precedent in Brazil, you can do that’... Sometimes things are just obvious.” (Renata, 25:35)

• On finding her voice:
  “I want to use my story to do that because we are not looking at those cases and it’s still allowed in Brazil.” (Renata, 65:11)

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Notable Timestamps

• [01:19–05:40]: Childhood in Brazil; the pivotal moment of signing the CPF.
• [06:14–10:28]: Coping with mysterious debt and government officials seizing assets.
• [12:14–15:34]: Realization at age 12; depression and psychological toll.
• [16:50–23:09]: Therapy, recovery, and lingering effects like anorexia.
• [31:43–33:04]: Becoming a financial ghost, and the lifelong consequences.
• [36:42–41:45]: Moving to South Africa; a fresh start and a new sense of self.
• [53:05–55:01]: Building a house for Mama Sylvia, linking her pain to purpose.
• [60:11–64:28]: Last asset freeze, the pain of public shame, and the final clearing of her name.
• [65:40–68:55]: Explaining the movement, sharing statistics, legal, and emotional realities.
• [70:58–76:39]: US context, steps for prevention, and psychological abuse.
• [77:00–78:27]: Practical advice (credit freeze for children), resources, and gratitude.

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Practical Tips & Resources

• For US Listeners:
  • Freeze your child’s Social Security number with all three credit bureaus to prevent unauthorized use. [77:00]
  • More resources: National Identity Theft Resource Center.

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Final Thoughts & Takeaways

Renata’s story is ultimately one of resilience in the face of protracted, systemic injustice. She illustrates not just the personal and financial toll of child identity theft—but also its psychological impact, the failings of legal systems, and the power of turning adversity into advocacy. By founding a movement and raising awareness, she has offered hope to hundreds of others, ensuring no child or adult in similar circumstances feels alone or unseen.

Quote:
“I’m fighting every day for little Renata.” (Renata, 78:20)

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For more about Renata’s documentary and advocacy movement:

• Documentary: 1 in 50 (available on YouTube)
• Movement: Children Without Debt (Brazil)

To share your story:
Email: [e-mail]
Form: Share your story

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Transcript

[Renata]

Hey guys.

[Interviewer]

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[Interviewer]

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[Renata]

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[Renata]

Rated PG13 hi, my name is Renata first and I had my identity stolen when I was 6 years old. And when I turned 18 I discovered that I had over $400,000 in debt in my name. And I was the best way I can describe. I was prosecuted non stop by the Brazilian justice system to pay debts that were never mine. So this is my story. So I grew up in Brazil in the south of Brazil in a city named Porto Alegre is right like if you look the map is like the last state in Brazil right at the bottom border with Argentina and Uruguay. So like the culture is very similar. And I have a twin sister, her name is Rafaela and she's like my best friend. We're yeah, super close. And I had a happy childhood, especially early childhood. My mom, she comes from a very big family family. There are like six kids between them and my grandfather and my grandmother from my mom's side. They're just amazing people. And yeah, you know those families that they are gatherers that you just have like Sunday lunch all the time and dinners together and super close. So we grew up, me and my cousins is about 10 of us and we are like brothers and sisters. You know, we're like extremely close to this day. We kind of grew up together. And the reason being is that we joke that there is a family curse. But all the women get divorced. So yeah, most of us were raised in a quote unquote broken home. But it didn't feel that way because they almost like created their own little community. Like the sisters. Yeah, like the sisters just raising their kids together and having that support system. Right. So it was. Yeah, amazing, happy childhood. I can only say that. But I have this memory when I was about five or six. I can't remember exactly because, you know, when you're at those early memories, is hard to pinpoint the exact age. I remember that a family member, a man, took me, my sister, to a government agency and we were. We had to sign some papers, Right. And the way that it was said to me, it was like a cool thing, you know, I was becoming responsible. I was becoming. I was having adult responsibilities. And I was six, Right. Six or five, I can't remember exactly. And I signed a document which was the equivalent of the Social Security here in the US but there in Brazil is the cpf. And at the time, you were not born with it, so you only had to get it when you were 18, unless your parents needed to open before that. So for whatever reason, they wanted to open the. The Social Security in my name at the time and my sister. But how.

[Interviewer]

So how did they do that, though, if. If it wasn't your parent?

[Renata]

No. So my mom authorized. Oh, yeah. So it's part of the story is that. Is that she did authorize. Later I found out why.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Renata]

So they authorized and then I signed it. And I remember that I was learning how to write and I was like, so nervous to sign my name in this document that it was going to be with me. And like, for some reason I knew that and I made a mistake. So, like, I was like, oh, no, I made a mistake. They're like, no, it's okay. Just write over it. And I wrote over it. And I signed my life away at the time, and I had no idea. Right. I have this document with me to this day with like my child, little child letter. It means a lot to me because it just. It reminds me where I came from and where I am now. So that happened and then things just got out of control. That's the best way I can say it.

[Interviewer]

And nothing with your twin though, right?

[Renata]

Yes, it was the same thing. Okay. Yes.

[Interviewer]

So it wasn't just you.

[Renata]

No, it was me and her. So at the time, the best way I can describe my mom is. It's so funny. What? The memory, the way you remember things. I remember her like, she's so beautiful, and I remember her just being so beautiful and so caring and so loving, but, like, in my memory, she has no voice. Like, she was just like I. In my memory, I remember her black and white, no voice. And it was because she was in a very abusive relationship where she didn't have a say, right? She didn't. And I don't know to this day everything my mom been through in that relationship. But I know it was tough because she couldn't stand up for herself. And many times she couldn't stand up for us, you know, as little girls. But then the person that was in her life left. And I have this very specific memory that in Brazil is, like, very part of the Brazilian culture, especially for the woman to get your nails done in the saloon. And I remember when my mom was like. Then it was just her. Her and her kids. We were little, still like eight. About that time, she's like, we're gonna go to the nail saloon. We're gonna get our nails done. And we went. And I remember my mom got her nails. The color she chose was, like, bright red. And I remember thinking, mom, that's not allowed. Because the person that was with her used to say that that was something that a woman that is right is correct, doesn't do. Like, use red nails or red lipstick was not allowed. And she was doing it. And she say. She told me, renata, we can do whatever we want. And she painted her nails bright red. And every week she'll go to the saloon and she'll paint her nails bright red. And every time that I need to feel strong, I have bright red nails. Now when I do that, my husband looks at me and say, oh, she's ready to fight, you know, is when I need. Because it became like a symbol of independence and strength. And it was from that moment that my mom started to fight for me. I didn't know everything that was happening. I was just a kid. The things that I knew was that. And I started to notice is, you know, at the time, mail was everything. We lived in the house with an uncle and a cousin. And the mailman will come and bring the letters. And then we would go through the letters. We were kids, and there were many, many letters in my name. And I could recognize my name. Renata first, Galvone. That's my full name and my sister's name as well. But just focusing on my story. So I could see a lot of letters arriving in my name all the time. And my mom told me not to open because it was adult things, and I wouldn't understand. But I was a little girl, so I very. I used to Dream that it was a prince writing to me and he wanted to take me to a castle. And I love the Cinderella story. So I would steal some letters and hide under my pillow so I could open at night and try to read. But whenever I would open, I would just find a bunch of numbers and words that made no sense to me at a time like final notice, violation, debt. And that was it. Had no idea what it meant. It was adult things. I thought that it was normal, that was it. The other thing that I started to notice is that some men would knock in our door and very aggressively say, renata first go home, come to the door. Renata first goville. Like boom, boom, boom, boom. And I was told by the adults around me to hide when that happens. But sometimes when they were not so aggressive in their approach, I will come to the door like, oh, it's me. And they will always be shocked like you are. Yes. And they would like didn't know what to say. But it happened once that they made some notes in the paper and then they came in and took our TV in our couch. And for me as a little girl looking all of this, I had no idea what was happening around me. Later I found out that those men were government officials looking for. How would you say? Looking for things that I owed so they could take it to contribute towards the payment of a debt.

[Interviewer]

Which I'm sure too like in a child's mind, you obviously have no idea what any of that means and what's happening. And I can see how potentially that would lead to a child feeling like what am I doing wrong? That things are getting taken because of me.

[Renata]

Exactly. I didn't associate that it was because of me, but I knew it was something because they would say my name right, you know. And I became very anxious. I was a very anxious little girl because it was just so much mystery around me. But at the same time, at the time it was just me, my mom and my sister. We were happy. You know, my mom is amazing. I even get emotional and she gave me an amazing childhood despite fight all this craziness and. But it happened that I. I don't know for sure but I think that one government official discover all our story. I think maybe my mom told him and he. He just. Yeah, he. He really felt sorry. So I think he made sure that all the time was him getting our case. Because then he would go to our house all the time and I think he would write in his PA paper not at home and he will come in and we'll make coffee and cake, and he would hang out for a little bit, and then he would leave, and that was it. So, like, angels also appeared in our lives along the way. So when I was 12 years old, so this kind of continue, but it was like periods that would slow down and then other periods that would, like, it will become again, letters, letters, people coming. But we had periods, years, that nothing would happen. So when I was 12, it started to happen again, the letters. And I was already old enough that I could open it and kind of understand that this was something that didn't make sense. So one day I went to school and I asked my best friend, do you get letters in your name? Like by the government or something? She's like, no. I described to her how the letter looked, and she nope, that doesn't happen to me. So I ask everyone in my classroom that day, do you get letters? You get letters? It looks like this. Nope, nope, nope, nope. I'm like, okay, this is not normal. Because when you grow up in that situation, you don't know anything else, right? So I'm thinking this is part of life. You're a citizen in this country, and the government comes check on you. You know what I'm saying? Like, I had no idea. But at 12, I found out that it wasn't normal. So I went to my house that day, and I was waiting for my mom to come back from work with the letter open. And then she came and I said, mom, what is this? I asked everyone in my school today, they told me, this is not normal. And she's like, okay, I think it's time that I tell you. So she sat down with me and she explained to me, renata, when you were six years old, two companies were opened in your name. It was a pizzeria and a ceramic shop. The person that did it was the family member. And I authorized under. She didn't say that at the time, but I know now that it was coercion. Like, she didn't mean she didn't know that all of this would happen. I authorized because I thought it was going to be a good thing for you. That's what it was was said to me that you were gonna grow up already with assets, with already a lot of assets in your name and a name in the market. And I thought I was signing your name for a bright future. But that's not what happened. The companies failed after two years. And a lot of money is owned to the government in taxes. And also those entities, those companies, there were actual people that work for them. And then when, when, when it failed, they stopped getting paid. They had. Their labor rights was violated. So there were also lawsuits against the company from former employees or business partners. And what happens is that when you are suing a company and the company is not under operation anymore, it felt like it was open when I was six and fell when I was eight. And so there were no assets against that company. So what they do in the Brazilian justice system, and I think here is also similar, is that they disconsider the, the physical entity of the company and they look for the owner, the owners, so they can go after the owners to pay the debt. And I was there as a six year old girl. There was another business partner there which was the person that did it, but he disappeared from the country. So they would look for him, wouldn't find it. And so they would go after me. And I was just a little girl. But my mom told me at the time, like, but don't worry about it. I'm fighting this and I will make sure that this is resolved. So you can start a life, have a normal life. Because it starts to become a big problem when you are already an adult and you work and you have your own assets and, and then they can take it from you. So at the time I was still a child, I had nothing in my name, right. I was a 12 year old girl, girl. So my mom was gonna fight it to make sure when I turned 18 this was resolved. But hearing that, like, imagine this, you're like 12, you're building your identity, just figuring out who you are in the world. You're a teenager, you're. You know, I always been the type of personality I always been is like someone that I like to be good, I like to study, I like to get good grades. Like my thing was reading books and I was very proud of who I was of like being always the good student. And I take, I took so much pride in that and on not never getting in trouble. Like that was so important to me. And I know now why, like I never want to be in trouble and to always be correct and just to, to learn at 12 that that was taken from me that I was already in trouble. Like the government was already looking for me. They already. I had so much debt to my name already. I had already done something bad, even though it wasn't me. And that's the thing with identities that I always say identity theft is. And what happened to me was identity child identity theft. But identity theft is a crime where the victim is guilty until you can prove that you were not. Because is your name there, is your Social Security. And it was just so crazy to me. I would say to my mom, but mom, they can see the dates, right? Obviously it wasn't me. Like, I was born in 1990. This all happened in 96, 97, 98. Of course it wasn't me. Just like, I know that's what I'm trying to fight it, but I'm going to talk a little bit about the emotional side and then go back to like, the. The law side of the things. Hearing that, that I was already in trouble, it broke me. I entered into a severe, deep depression at 12. I didn't want to live anymore because I remember thinking, what is the point of trying. What's the point of even trying to be someone if it was already decided for me that I have this amount of debt and I'm already in trouble and government officials look for me is like, it's very traumatic. So I. I was severely depressed. I couldn't get out of bed. And again, the memory is so interesting to me how you remember things, because I remember that period of my life. Everything was black and white and it was always raining. Every day was raining. I know it was not true because I was in that state for a year. So it's impossible to rain every day for. For a year, especially in Brazil. But that's my memory. And I was just really sad because I felt betrayed by the people that were supposed to protect me. So it was a really tough period for me. But my mom, when she got out of that abusive relationship, she was working a lot, like in companies, doing different things, and then also studying at night to be a psychologist, which was her dream, to be a psychologist. And I was in her graduation, actually I was nine years old when she graduated. And I'm very proud of her. So at the time, she was already working as a psychologist. So she immediately knew what was happening and she put everything to take me out of that state. So I had psychologists and I started to take medication because it was needed, because I was in a mindset that was really dangerous of not wanting to live, really. So after a year of therapy and taking the right medication, I finally got out of that. So I was about 13, and I think I was fine for a year. And then at like around 14, I developed anorexia. So. So I was. It started with like, the need to control what I put in my body. And through therapy and looking back, I know that that happened because I lost control of my identity in Society, financially, I was already in ruins, even though I hadn't even started my life and it wasn't me. So it was a need to. I need to. I need to control what I can control because that mess was already decided for me. I can't change that. I. I don't know what to do. So I had this obsession of controlling the food I'll put in my body. And then it started like with just a normal diet and lose some weight. And then it developed to, no, today I'm only gonna eat two apples. And I would like beat myself up if I didn't do that, you know, Even though it was so unrealistic goals, but it was all. Everything was a way of me to try to control my. My person, my being, because I felt that I had lost control of that, if that makes sense. Yeah. So that happened. And then again my mom put all efforts to take me out of there, go to a different psychologist to deal with that. And there was. My teenage years were really, really tough. And it was not the. The usual tough teenage years of like you party too much and you experience drugs or whatever. It wasn't that. It was just me dealing with this realization of what had happened to me. The betrayal.

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[Renata]

And also having a lot of emotional and psychological consequences out of it. So I was able to be. I think there was one specific day that I considered that I was good. Like I wasn't depressed anymore. I wasn't, didn't have anorexia anymore. I never got to a dangerous level of thinness, even though I did get very thin because my mom was very quick to act and get me the support that I needed. So it was. I was 16 when I finally got out of that because I got better from the eating disorder quite quickly. But then I kind of went into the depression again and then was kind of like back and forth. But there was specific day when I was 16 that I would. I remember walking home from school and thinking, I think I'm okay. And I, I, I look at the ground, and there was a leaf. And I'm like, I took the leaf and I'm like, this is the day that I'm. I'm good. I'm out of this mess, and I have this leaf to with me to this day. Yeah. It's just my little treasure box to, to remind me of my past. So. But going back to the judicial side of things, so I didn't really know everything that was happening because I was in that state of depression and anorexia, and it's just like dealing with so many emotions. So my mom kept me out of it for all this time. And while she was in the background fighting it with lawyers and everyone that could help her resolve this. So what was happening was that my mom was fighting it, and she went to the child protective services. Like, this was done with my daughters. And they were like, we don't deal with that. We don't deal with that type of problem. Problems. They didn't know how to help us. So she went to different lawyers, and they tried to fight it in the justice court. And she told me that there was a session that the judge said, I recognize she was a child, but there is no precedence. In Brazil, you can do that. And there is nothing that would allow me or tell me that I can clean her name or write off this debt. There just isn't. There is no precedence. That makes me so angry because sometimes things are just obvious. Yeah. I was 8. Could I have done this? Absolutely not. I was playing with Barbies at that age. But you not gonna help me because there is no precedent. Right. That just ridiculous. It was.

[Interviewer]

And I feel like, you know, you're not the one to blame. You didn't have any idea.

[Renata]

Yeah, exactly. So my mom fought, fought, fought nothing.

[Interviewer]

And they couldn't do anything to the family member?

[Renata]

Well, they were looking after him, but he just was gone from the country.

[Interviewer]

Okay, so he left too.

[Renata]

Yep.

[Interviewer]

Him. And then the other. There was somebody else working with him. Right? You said.

[Renata]

So there was somebody else. There was a business partner. Partner. I only know the name because I can see in the court documents.

[Interviewer]

But they both kind of fled.

[Renata]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Renata]

I just have no idea about this other person actually.

[Interviewer]

Got it. And then as far as your sister goes, was she kind of asking the same questions you were around the same age, or was she not as, like with the letters and stuff like that? Was she not looking at them?

[Renata]

Yes, she was not looking at them as much. We are 20 twin sisters, but we have different personalities completely.

[Interviewer]

Right.

[Renata]

I was like a little investigator, and I was also very sensitive. So everything that I've been through in my child, in my teenage years, she. She didn't go through that. She was being a normal teenager. She was going to school and being happy and. But it affected her later in life.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Renata]

I think that breaking that, realizing that we were betrayed, because we were. It happened at different stages in our life.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, but was it explained, like, when your mom was explaining it to you when you were 12, was it kind of. Was it a conversation with both of you guys or just you?

[Renata]

It was just me.

[Interviewer]

Okay, so when did she find out?

[Renata]

No, she also found out around the same time because then my mom was like, you know, I can't tell one and tell the other. So she had had the conversation separately with my sister.

[Interviewer]

Got it.

[Renata]

But I think my sister was just like, whatever.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, she didn't. Yeah, she didn't think much into it.

[Renata]

Okay, can I go back?

[Interviewer]

Which I feel like most kids would, because it's like, why deep dive into something you can't understand? But when you have a personality, you know that you care about those things, it's almost like. Reminds me of an old soul, you know, like, you knew.

[Renata]

I've always been the old soul. Always been. So. Yes, because. Yeah, like, if. If you. If I look back, could I have ignored and just. Yeah, I could have. Then it wouldn't have been you. Yeah. But I just couldn't.

[Interviewer]

Right.

[Renata]

I knew that something was wrong and I needed to find the answers. So my mom tried to fight it. All our childhood, all our teenage years, and there was just nothing to be done. And. But she paid a lot of it. So my mom worked and worked and worked, and she paid a lot of it. My grandfather, her dad paid a lot of it as well. And then at some point, a lot of. A lot of the issues prescribed because they just couldn't find assets. Not in my name. I was still a kid. Not in the. The family member's name. So they kind of just prescribed and I went dead. So turned 18, decided that I wanted to be a journalist because, you know, a little investigator in me. So I started college and started studying it. And I was very Happy. I got a job and I was working for, like, a teenage magazine, like, writing. Writing for them. And I was. Had my credit card and, you know, I had a little bit of money. Not much, because it was just, you know, initial phases of your working life. But I have my money there. And then one day I'm driving to school because I used to work all day and then study at nights at the university, like during night time so I could work during the day. So I was driving to the. My. The university. I used to go at night. And then I got a phone call and it was my bank. And they asked, are you Renata for Scovone? Said, yes, that's me. They verify it was me. And they said, look, we got a court order and all your assets were frozen to contribute towards a payment of a debt. And I'm like, okay, so everything is gone? They're like, yes. And I remember feeling so ashamed and like, so affected. And then I. I said, but I tried to explain. I said, but look, if you look at the dates, you know, I was just eight. Like, it wasn't me. And. And she said. And I was just trying to explain myself. And I remember she said it was a woman. And she said, sweetie, it doesn't matter. It was a court order. We have to follow it. Ninja just froze my assets and everything was taken to contribute towards his debt. And there was nothing I could do. When I tell this story, no one can believe me that I had no defense. But I'm here to tell you, I had no defense. It didn't matter that I was a girl. There was no freaking precedent. It was allowed. It still is. That's the other part of my story. But it still is allowed. In Brazil, the civil code permits parents to use their child's names. As long as you have the parents authorization, you can do it. And then. But if anything goes wrong and that child turns 18 and they start working and have their own assets, those assets can be used to pay. Got it. Towards the debt, because someone needs to pay that.

[Interviewer]

Right? And now, right. Once you start building things up and you have something, they're like, oh, well, we're gonna start. Start taking.

[Renata]

Exactly. But it was nothing to do with those companies. Like, I didn't inherit anything.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Renata]

I had no money from that mess. Nothing.

[Interviewer]

Right.

[Renata]

I inherit $400,000 in debt. That's what I inherited. So then, okay, that happened. Then the law, my mom's lawyers would check, and they were like, okay, I think things prescribed. It's fine. So then I would have A bank account again. And I'll working and this is like 18, 19, 20. And then out of nowhere another debt would appear and a court case would be reopened because they can do that if they want. And then court order, boom, freeze my assets. And I, everything was taken from me again. And then that just kept happening like

[Interviewer]

so every time you'd like save up money, they would just take from it?

[Renata]

Yes, court order, I'd like open my bank account like a, like at the time I didn't have an app, but like I would just check my bank account and be like, court order money taken. And it was, I just felt like it was just a never ending story.

[Interviewer]

Well also it's like you can't grow that way. You can't build anything for yourself.

[Renata]

Exactly. So then my mom just said to me, I am so sorry but the best way is for you not to have anything in your name because whatever you have, they will take. So I just decided that I was not going to have anything in my name. But what that means is that I became a financial ghost. I had no name, I didn't have rights to my name because whatever I tried to build, they would take from me. So that meant thankfully I have an amazing mom, so I could use her name. So like I would work, get paid and then I could transfer to her or I would use her, her credit card. But I had no rights to my own name because whatever I would do, they would take it. And I think, to answer your question, I think that's what a hit to my sister, okay? Because the same was happening to her, right? And she also didn't have rights to her own name. She also couldn't have anything in her name. Nothing, nothing, nothing, Nothing in your name. Even. Like if you want to later in your life do a financing of a house and you buy a house, they can take your house, they can take your car. So you have nothing in your name. You just become non existent, non existent in society which is so emotionally damaged. And what do you do when you don't have a good mother that you can rely on their name? You know, you start to rely on other people, maybe you know, a boyfriend or whatever. And it just, it's a very dangerous precedent. So to answer that freaking judge, there you go. This is a dangerous precedent to set. But that's our, was our life. So I was 21 and I was just like so done with that. I'm like, I'm just, I can't live like this. Like I can't have anything in my Name like, I just can't pay all this debt. It was just too much money. So I was still studying, working also during the day, and I was searching online. I'm like, I just want to try, like, travel somewhere, go to a country. And I always loved South Africa. I learned about the story of Nelson Mandela. And that was just something that resonated with me and gave me sense of hope and freedom. So I just remember searching, like, journalism internship, Cape Town, South Africa. Because I really wanted to go to Robin island, which is where Mandela was in prison for so long in is in Cape Town. So I remember searching that and then appeared. Internship opportunity for a magazine, the big issue, South Africa. That's the name. So I applied and I got the position. And my English was like, really not the best. And I'm like, I'm just gonna go there and figure it out. Yeah, like, it was basic. I could kind of communicate, but, like, to be a journalist. But I'm like, I'm just gonna make it work, right? So I told my mom, and she's like, I support you. Go for it. So I booked my trip, got my visa. I was like, the visa process, oh, my gosh. I've been through hell. Because I'm like, they're going to see that I have all this debt. They're not going to accept me in the country. Who would, right? Who would accept someone that has so much debt? But either they didn't check or they just didn't care. But I got my visa. Yeah, I got my visa.

[Interviewer]

And how long did that take? Was it pretty quick or.

[Renata]

It was pretty quick. I think it was maybe two months.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Renata]

Yeah. So then I got it. But I was, like, going to stay for four months to do the internship was for four months. And I gonna go just for that period and then come back. That was the idea. So I went and I just fell in love with Cape Town. It's the most beautiful city and the world. I love it. I recommend everyone going. And I started to work, and it was. Yeah, I was renting a room in this big house with a lot of people, and there was a lot of international students, and there were, like, girls from the US And Canada and other countries in Africa. And I remember that they were all there for different internships as well, but they were like, I mean, we're all 20, 21. So they were like, kind of doing their internship. It's like partying all the time, right? And as always, me, I was like, no party, just work. I'm like, working. And I'LL go, I'll arrive early, I will leave late. And I wanted to because my English was not that good. So I would, you know, do my best at work with the English I had, but then come back home and study, study English and try to improve myself. And I just would never go out. And then my second week there, my friends were like, renata, you need to go out. Like, you just work. Like, this is ridiculous. You're in South Africa. Like, let's just go have fun. I'm like, I don't feel like, like, okay, so let's just go to this bar that is like in the corner of our house. We have a drink, that's all. I'm like, okay, fine. And I went like, I really didn't feel like it. I felt like I wanted to work, but I went with them. So I met this bar and then this guy comes to me and he's like, hi, I'm Brian. And he was a South African guy, very good looking. And I started to talk with him and I fell in love. And we've been together for 13 years. Wow, that's incredible.

[Interviewer]

I love that.

[Renata]

Yeah. So I met my husband that night was my second week in South Africa. And that's why I just believe, like throughout my journey, there's always God there, you know, like, like, I'm in Brazil, south of Brazil, he's in South Africa. What are the chances of us meeting? And I met the love of my life. So we fell in love like in three days. And I'm like, yes, I'm staying, I'm not going back.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Renata]

So I told my mom, mom, I fell in love and I'm staying in South Africa. Think about that. I was 21, my husband was actually 20.

[Advertiser]

And.

[Renata]

And she's like, okay, it's a bit soon. And I'm like, I know, but I just, I'm so sure. And he had the same conversation with his parents. Like, I'm just so sure. She's my wife, my future wife. And then we moved in together. Like in a few months we started living together and I, you know, sorted out my visa to stay longer. And he was still studying at university. I drop off university in Brazil didn't continue. And I, yeah, I had to find jobs to, to support myself and stay. So like, I got a job like in the call center and I would work through the night and. But then during the day I would do my freelance journalism and it was just like, it was, I loved that period of my life because it was just like hustling and just being with this man I loved and I was just so happy. But I was just always afraid of when are they going to freeze my assets here? When are they going to figure it out that I owe so much money in Brazil and they're going to start to freeze my assets. And I remember thinking, well I need to tell my partner this cuz it's important. So I sat him down and I told him and I said I'm just really afraid that because I'm working here. And at the time I was supporting both of us because he was studying. So in South Africa I think it's similar to here when you go to university is like a full day.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Renata]

You can choose to just study at night. Like in Brazil you could. So he had to start study and he would do like odd jobs working like restaurants and bars. But like I was the main person supporting both of us on our rent. So I just said I think I'm gonna have to start when I get money from the company I'm working. Maybe I transfer to you your name. And it was just such an awkward conversation to have. And then he said I'm pretty sure that doesn't transfer from one country and another. And I'm like really? Like I didn't know. So he spoke with his dad. His dad is amazing. He's like my, he is my dad. You know, I didn't really have a, a dad but he became my dad and I love him. And my, my mother in law also, she's amazing. My second moment. So he told me he's an economist. So you know Brian, my husband spoke with him and he confirmed. Yeah, no it doesn't. And for the first time I could have a name. Like I just, I could be a normal adult.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Renata]

Was incredible. Like and that's just such a basic thing, isn't it? Just to be able to. Right.

[Interviewer]

It's something we take for granted. We don't even realize the value it holds.

[Renata]

Exactly. Like to just to have a bank account just to work and be able to get. Have things in your name without that. The fear of that being taken by the government by court orders. And I could just have a normal, completely normal life. And it was just amazing. And I was, I lived there in South Africa for 11 years. Me and my husband, we built a life together. Eventually. Say goodbye to that messy drawer of hot hair tools and hello to the one. Introducing Shark Glam. Shark Beauty's new 5 in 1 multi styler Sharklam offers wet or dry styling, air straightening and glossing. All with one tool. When air is not enough, Shark Glam has all hair types covered. Using a breakthrough blend of hot air and ceramic technology. Shark Glam one tool, endless styles, volume, shine and bounce all day. Visit sharkbeauty.com to learn more. Planning a wedding shouldn't feel overwhelming. The Knot brings everything together in one place.

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[Renata]

Well, so, okay, so then we. We had a normal life. And then the problems in Brazil never got resolved. My sister was still there, and she could never have anything in her name. She's still there to this day, and she could never heard of anything in her name. And there was just nothing we could do. So, but one day we were talking, like, thinking, because, you know, I. I want to resolve this. I don't want to have this ghost in the back of my mind.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, like hanging over your head.

[Renata]

Yeah. And also I want my sister to have a normal life. So we start to consult with other lawyers and what can we do? So there was this lawyer and. And at that, that time I was in Brazil because I would go often to visit. So we had a meeting with her and she said, look, I think there is a way. It's risky because it's risky to try. And I don't even know if it's gonna help you, but what you and your sister can do is that you can go to the police station and open the case of identity theft, but it's going to be against the person who did it. But also you, your mom, because she authorized so you can try that. And then if it's proven that it was the case, then maybe, maybe I can try to write off the debt and it goes to your mom. And we just heard that. I said nothing. My mom said nothing. We drove back home and we never Spoke about it like we both knew that that was just not an option. I will never do that. And speaking with my mom, I just said, tell me like what happened, you know, why? Why did you authorize. And her answer surprised me. Like it surprised me so much because I thought she was going to tell me. I just trusted this person. And they said that you were going to have a name in the market and I thought it was going to be good for you. But. And there was kind of that. But she also told me. She also told me that that person was extremely manipulative. And my mom was going through a really tough time in her relationship and things were just falling apart and she was lost. And then this person kind of said, God wants this because your kids will then have a name and things will stay within the family and we're going to be able to. To grow in the. In the pastor from the church that they would go agree that that was a good idea. So talk about manipulation and coercion with. To a woman that was already beaten down and didn't have a voice. And to hear that from a pastor as well, like someone that said to her that this was gonna help whatever we were into. And I know that is not making many much sense because I don't say publicly who I was and I will explain later why. So it likes kind of like a bit weird, but like that's what what happened and what I feel comfortable sharing publicly. And my mom has so much guilt to this day. But I know that it wasn't her fault. I don't blame my mom. I do not blame her for a second. She was also a victim. And I think we lack so much protection for children, but also for women and men that are in positions of a relationship where they don't have a voice, you know, and they don't understand. And I love that you're giving me the space to come here because you talk a lot about abuse and I think we as society, we don't talk enough about financial abuse and is real and this hap and happens and it's not recognized. So people don't even know that they are going through that.

[Interviewer]

Right. Like they don't know the signs of what to look for.

[Renata]

Exactly. Exactly. So my only possible defense was just impossible for us. So we left it. But then I'm in South Africa. I have a normal life. And then I was working as a journalist during the day, like freelance journalism to Brazil, to publications in Brazil. I'll go live on TV to report about South Africa. And then at night, I would work on that call center, which was the thing that made me the most money. So I was very. A very busy life, but I loved it. And then when I was. I was always on the field looking for stories during the day. And in. In South Africa, you have what they call the townships. So it's like you have, like, the city center, and then quite far from the city, you have what they call the townships, which were built during apartheid government to kind of exclude people based on race, which absolutely horrible and is obviously illegal, but it's still like that. Like, the majority of the poor population still lives on those townships. And that's where I would cover a lot of the stories that I was writing as a journalist of, like, abuse and a lot of child abandonment and things like that. And I would be there often, right? And I promise you, I was. Whenever I went, I was the only white person around, so much so they would call me Lungu. So that's like white person in Xhosa, which is the local language. So I was just known as the Lungu. In Khayelitsha is the name of the township that I was always in. So then one day I was there just looking around, and someone told me that they found a baby in the trash. And this baby was gonna be taken to a shell shelter to. To a mama's house. So the way that there's a lot of unfortunate kids, abandonment and things like that in. In that area, and then the way that it works is that they found a shelter. And all the shelters in those era safe houses are run by mamas, which are like this older African woman that just help the kids and take them under their own house. It's not an orphanage. Like, their own house. They take them. So someone told me that, and I'm like, I'm gonna go see. Maybe there is a story. So I get there, and there was just this shack is like, a zinc house, like, just a zinc house, like, made out of zinc. Very, very simple. But it was, like, big inside, and it was just full of kids. And I arrived, and there's just this mama with, like, the biggest smile, just welcome me. And that's when I met Mama Sylvia, and I met the little boy that was found. K. Valeto. And I started. I sat down with Mama, and she was telling me about how she does things, and. And she takes the kids. And then she told me. I'll never forget. She said, you know, we have a problem in the township because people don't register the kids. So when they grow up. They have no name. And that was like, I know how that feels.

[Interviewer]

Like, yeah.

[Renata]

You know, I've been through that in a different way, but I know how that feels like. And that just hit me. And she's like, but I don't do that, because your name, your. Like, your certificate, your birth, who you are, your ID number is not just that. It's like, who you are in society. It's how you kind of exist in this system. Them. So what she did is when a child would arrive with no registration, she register them as her kid and she would just welcome them. And I promise you, that was, like, a very poor house, Very poor conditions, but the happiest kids. And she, like, had this little thing that she kept that was, like, all their documents. And she was so important to her. And that resonated to me in a way that I can't even explain to you, because I knew how important that was to have someone that would care for your identity and, like, really care for that. That resonated with me. And I'm like, mama, what do you need? She's like, no, I think I'm okay. It's just this house is a bit hot during summer, and when it rains, it pours because it's a zinc house, so it would just flood inside. And I was so reckless. I was so young. I was 20, 23 at the time. I looked at her and said, mom, I'm going to build you a house. And she's like, no, don't say that, sissy. I said, I'm going to build you a house. Just write that down. And I left that day and I said, this woman is already a mom. She has 20, 21 kids at her care at that time, and she gives them the best life. All she needs is a concrete house. I'm gonna build them a house. I don't know how yet, but I will. And so I did an online campaign, a crowdfunding campaign. I got some friends in Brazil, like, let's do this. And I was good at storytelling, so I went there and I recorded Mama telling her story. And I used my. The skills I had as a journalist and recording a video and just putting the story on YouTube and started to share and less raise money. It was a Brazilian website because most of my contacts were there, and. But it's like a GoFundMe type of thing. And it went viral.

[Interviewer]

Wow.

[Renata]

And we raised the money and we built her a house.

[Interviewer]

That is incredible.

[Renata]

Yes. It's the thing in my life that I'm the most Proud of. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

It was a pivotal moment.

[Renata]

It was a.

[Interviewer]

And I think it's. It's incredible too because like you said, it resonated with you so much. You understood it. And it was something where it seemed like someone understood you when probably a lot of people either wouldn't or it wouldn't even cross their minds.

[Renata]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Like how important an identity is.

[Renata]

Exactly. And I never told mama my story and I. I think to this day she doesn't know I'm still in contact with her. But yeah, she just understood me and I just. I wanted to help someone like her that stands up for children in a way that I wish it would have done to me.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Renata]

You know, so, yeah, we built her a house. It was crazy because do you know what it takes to build a house?

[Interviewer]

Right. Yes.

[Renata]

I did it. I'm like, I'm gonna build her house.

[Interviewer]

I'll do it myself.

[Renata]

I kind of learned on the way. So it was like, it's good to tell now when people are like, oh, that's amazing. But like, it was so stressful when I did.

[Interviewer]

Right.

[Renata]

Because then when we got the money, I'm like, now I have all this money and now like, I need to build this house. And then it's like, look for architects. And then I look someone from the community, like in Kylita to do it so we could also help the community and create jobs.

[Interviewer]

How long did it take?

[Renata]

It was actually quite cool quick, but I think it took about like eight months.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Renata]

Yeah, it wasn't that bad.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Renata]

And. But then I'm like, where are they going to live? Because I needed to build in the place that she owned that piece of land.

[Interviewer]

Right.

[Renata]

I'm like, oh my gosh. I didn't think about that. And then one day I'm like, okay, so. So I go there, I'm like, mama, where are we going to live? Cuz my apartment is very small. I can't have 20 kids, right? She's like, no, no, no. It's all sorted out. You come here, you help me take all the zinc out. And the neighbor has a. A piece of land that I can build another zinc there house temporarily. And we're going to live there. And I'm like, okay. And then I. I get a bunch of friends, we all go to KY one afternoon and we destroy the zinc house and get all the stuff and put to the other piece of land. And then the community is coming to build the zinc house temporary and they like put it up in like hours. It's like crazy, right? And then they lived there while we were building it. And yeah, I have many beautiful videos of that period of us taking out the zinc house. And then mama like in the middle of her land there, like hugging me and other friends that were helping and saying like I'm going to have my house here, here. And we built her a house. And now they have that. And I remember mama used to call me a lot and I remember we built her a house that had been few months already her there in that house. And then she called me. It was a day that it was raining a lot in Cape Town and she called me, I'm like, mama, is everything okay? She's like, sissy. Do you know how good is the smell of rain? And I'm like, what? She's like, do you know that all these years whenever rain I would just be stressed and taking buckets because it's going to flood the zinc house, right? It's like it has a lot of opening so water will go inside. And now I can just enjoy the smell of rain. And I'm like, yeah, is the things we take for granted, you know. So that was like a beautiful moment of. Of my life. And it kind of already started to re. Signify by my pain helping others. It's the thing that, that. That just gives us the energy to move forward. Right. So it was a way to help when I couldn't really help myself or my sister to be honest, because there was nothing we could do. So. But yeah, so I was already a little bit tired of being a journalist. I was not seeing it. So mind you, at the time I was 26, 27. And then I was still doing freelance work as a journalist, but they had to pay me in Brazil.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Renata]

So like I had a bank account that there for that. But the. My mom's lawyer told me I think it's fine. Everything prescribed has been so long. There's nothing we can see in your name. But it's like I call it what I've been through and people that go through identity theft go through as remission. You're never cured. It's like there is nothing appearing right now. So I think you're fine. But something might appear out of nowhere. So I never really knew. So. But then I'm like, okay, I need to find a job that I really love because this life of doing what I love during the day and then working on a call center at night is just killing my vibe. So I started looking for like a full time job that is going to give me good Money to support myself and I like. So I started looking and I find this job for a research analyst for a company in Cape Town to research criminal cases in Brazil. I'm like, wow, this is so interesting. Never heard about this. So I applied and I got the job because I spoke the language and I needed to research. Never knew how to research criminal cases. So I started. Started it. And that's where I discovered the industry that I work right now. And I fell in love, which is the anti financial crime industry. So there is a whole industry that provides data and solutions like to banks so they can protect people and the institutions from financial crime, from money laundering, from identity theft, from fraud. So we. So I was a researcher for a database that collected information of cases to. To the banks. And I was working and I loved my job. I was so proud. And I had to research criminal cases. So every morning I would arrive at work and the first thing that we would do is to look at the court orders that for that day that were freezing money. Because most of the times when you have a court order to freeze a bank account, it might be related to a criminal case, especially for money laundering. So like, we would get that court ordered the name of the person, and do further investigation. So one day I arrive at work and my name is there in that website. Court order against Renata first go home, freeze all her assets.

[Interviewer]

So how old at this point?

[Renata]

27.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Renata]

So all the money I had in Brazil from my freelance journalism, gone. They took everything.

[Interviewer]

And it just came up again out of nowhere.

[Renata]

Basically out of nowhere. Yes. And then. But that was the year that I was. I was gonna get married. So it was like that money that they took was the money I was saving to buy my wedding dress. It was not a lot, but it was a lot for me at the time. But that was not even the worst part. It was seeing my name in that site. And everyone in my company saw it. So they asked me to be on leave for two days. So I couldn't work for two days until they investigated. And then they asked me to come and explain myself to the head of research. I can't tell you how nervous I was, I'm sure, because at the time I'm like, it's just such a difficult thing of like, it's not me, but the system doesn't care, they say is me. So everything, everyone's gonna think I'm guilty. No one's gonna trust me. Now I need to go there, tell this story that sounds like everything is a lie because it's so crazy. But, you know, I was just. So. Anyway, so I go there and I tell my story, and I was, like, shaking. Like, shaking. And I tell them everything about the story. They're like, okay, not your fault. I start working again. And I had some restrictions, though. Like, I couldn't research criminal cases in my state where it happened in case they found something in my name. And then it was me covering, and then I was going to, you know. Yeah. So it was still embarrassing because I could continue to work with restrictions. And that was emotionally devastating again. So at that time, I was, like, strong emotionally, but just my body was like, no, this is just too much. So my. My body started attacking itself. I started to lose hair in, like, chunks. So I develop alopecia. I had, like, bald spots all over my head. And it was from stress, from, like. I finally found a career that I love, and I'm so proud of it. And now you have ripped away again. Yeah. Like, I can still work, but I have restriction. People look at me with suspicion. But it was my life. And I just continue. But then that same year, my mom's lawyers. Because then they took my money. And then my mom called me and say, oh, good news. We got the money back. And she sent me the money back. But I know she didn't. I know she took her money and gave it to me so I could buy my wedding dress. It was from her own account. And then actually, one of my aunts, she bought my wedding dress for me as a gift. And then that same year, my mom called me, and she's like, your name is clear. And I said, what? She's like, we cleared your name. I'm like, no, you're lying. She's like, yep, it's done. So my name was finally cleared, and nothing was gonna come back. They could prove it. And the reason was because my mom paid everything. She just worked and work and work. And with my grandfather's help, they cleared my name. So good. So good, so good. Springstyles are at Nordstrom Rack stores now, and they're up to 60% off. Stock up and save on Rag and Bone, Madewell, Vince, All Saints, and more of your favorites. How did I not know Rack has Adidas? Why do we rack for the hottest deals? There's so many good brands. Join the Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts. Shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite Rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you Rack.

[Interviewer]

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[Renata]

That was the year, like literally it happened, I think four months before my wedding. Wow. And I'm like, my name is finally clear. And I told my husband I'm not changing my surname. Yeah. No, I fought too much. Right. I fought too much for this to be done and for me to be me and be Renata. First go home.

[Interviewer]

Like four months isn't. Isn't long enough yet.

[Renata]

Yes. Like, I need, I need to be able to have my surname. Like, I'm just proud. And he's, he's like, absolutely, absolutely. Don't change your surname. So we got married. Didn't change my surname. Never did. And. And then through my company, I got stronger. We start talking and they. And we figured out that we are not talking enough about child identity theft in my industry. And I said, I want to use my story to do that because we are not looking at those cases and it's still allowed in Brazil. So my company invested a lot and they did a documentary about my story is on YouTube. The name is 1 in 50 is like a short film. So we did it. It was released this year.

[Interviewer]

That's incredible.

[Renata]

Yeah. And then it was nominated to Indie Shorts Film Festival. Holly Shorts Film Festival. It was like really well done. And it was the first time I spoke about my story published publicly. So it was nerve wracking. But it was empowering. It was empowering. And from that things just blew up. And so many media reports were done about me in Brazil. And I start going to the media and talking because this is still allowed in Brazil. And my sister to this day didn't clear her name because for her it was. It's just, just too much. You can't just pay it. So to this day she can't have a name. So I've been talking a lot in Brazil about this and then since I started talking, this has been five months now that I've been actively going to the media. I Think now I can tell you it's been over a hundred victims that reach out to me. Same story as. As mine in Brazil. Same story. And some of them, like, with 28 million in their name and debt, like, that's the worst case. And so we got together and we form a movement. The name is Children Without Debt. And we're fighting for our rights collectively because my case was resolved, but they're. Most of them wasn't and probably never will. And they all live like financial ghosts, don't have the right to their identity. And that is a violation of human rights. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

And anything that they make can be taken.

[Renata]

Everything is taken.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. You can't build a life for yourself at all. And I'm sure for many, it makes you just want to give up, be like, I can't do anything.

[Renata]

So we have most all of them struggle mentally, psychologically. So now we're organizing ourselves as we speak. But like, we are 82 victims now that got together. We have a spot support group. We have help from psychologists. We can't get legal help because there's still no precedent. But we are fighting that. And we got attention from the Senate in Brazil, and now they're looking to introduce a law reform. And our cases are finally being recognized, slowly being recognized for what it is, which is child identity theft is now recognized that way in Brazil. But what happened to me was exactly that. And what happened to all of them is the same. One of the victims, only one, she did what is so emotionally devastating to have to do, but she sued her parents for having used her name. She won. And even then she can't get rid of the debt, if you can believe it. That is why, because it. It was allowed. And they can only find assets in her name. So then they. They need to get paid.

[Interviewer]

Right. So it just has to come from somewhere. And that's the thing too is I feel like, you know, I'm sure one of the big reasons why there isn't a lot of information on it is because these victims probably feel like they're hopeless with, you know, law, so why even speak out about it? Like, they probably just don't even try.

[Renata]

It's a financial abuse that comes first from the family and then from the system.

[Interviewer]

Right.

[Renata]

That doesn't recognize you as a victim. They don't care about age.

[Interviewer]

And a lot of people are scared to speak up.

[Renata]

And that's what I've been hearing from all of them is like, this is the first time someone's talking about this. This is the, like, I Thought I was alone. People think that because no one is talking about it. So it's been also healing absolutely, to be able to do that. And I will say, many, many victims contacted me from the US as well. So it happens here too. But here it is recognized as child identity theft. Okay, but here we have data. We know that 1 in 50 children have their identity stolen before they turn 18. That's 1.25 million children within a year period in the United States. States. And in 73% of the cases comes from the family. So here you have cases where a stranger steals your identity. When you see you have your Social Security is being used as a child, but in 73% of the cases is a type of abuse that comes within the household. And I start to study that. I'm doing that in my work as well. And we know that is because the pair, all the cases, the parent's name is already compromised. So they already have bad credit. They can no longer get loans. They can no longer operate. So then they look at their child. Oh, there is a clean Social Security number, and they start to use it. The creditors in the United States, they're putting a lot of protections in place, but they still don't check for age. They still treat the Social Security as a unique number. So that's why it still happens. But what happens is that child turns 18, they want to apply for a college loan. They want to, you know, can't do it. And then you're like, what, my credit score is this bad? But I just turned 18. And that's when they find out, okay, and then their option is go to the police station and open a case for a child identity theft. But then you're going against your family.

[Interviewer]

Well, there's that, but also, I'm sure it takes a long time to fight that.

[Renata]

It's. It takes a long time, and it's up to the victim to fight it.

[Interviewer]

Right?

[Renata]

So it's like, emotionally devastating, damaging. And there was one victim that reached out to me from here in the United States, and her Social Security was used by her entire family. So when she turned 18, her credit was, like, under 200. She couldn't do anything with her name. And then her option was to open a case of a child identity theft. She knew exactly who it was. It was her mom and also her dad. But she told me, renata, if I did that, I was gonna lose everyone. My grandmother was gonna be angry with me, my grandfather. I was gonna lose my entire family. So think about the emotional weight for that victim like your only hope is to go against your family. Like here is better than Brazil. But there's still problems because it shouldn't be up to. To the victim to first have to go through that. And then. Yeah, we also finding through studies that is very cultural. So like in the south of Brazil, where I'm from, there are specific industry of business owners that this is just common practice to the point that they ask each other how many social securities do you have as a way to ask how many kids you have? Because that's how many documents they have to be able to operate. And then is a generational violence. Because then your name is completely. In Brazil we call. Your name is dirty. So your name is already compromised. Just security. You can't have anything in your name. So then what do you do? You use your kid's name. And then your kid turned 18, same story. So what they do, they use their kid's name and then it's like a general generational violence. So I am in great place now. I, I turn that into my work, into purpose. And I want to raise awareness. And I started this movement in Brazil. Let's see where it goes. But it's, it's. It's getting very. Like we're getting a lot of momentum. And in a. In a week, in two weeks, I'll be talking in a webinar and a panel with UNICEF and Homeland Security to bring awareness about this. And it's so important.

[Interviewer]

I think awareness is the. It's. I feel like it's one of the first steps, but it's the biggest step because if you build an army and a community that won't stay silent, someone's gonna have to listen.

[Renata]

Exactly. And I feel like the ride to your identity into being who you are is just like such a basic human right.

[Interviewer]

Yes.

[Renata]

And to have that just taken from you and you have a system that doesn't support you.

[Interviewer]

Right.

[Renata]

Is just. Is unacceptable.

[Interviewer]

And the fact that it can even somehow be allowed like it should, in my opinion, it should be treated where if that person is underage, even if it's the parents that the rule should just be now, I'm sorry. Like they're not of age to make that choice themselves. So.

[Renata]

Exactly.

[Interviewer]

Like just. You know what I mean? If you're going to give the right to sign it away, it should have the right. Should have the right not to. Until you're of an age that you can give that. What's the word? Authorization.

[Renata]

Exactly. And that's what I'm pushing is for. For. For Kids to have the systems, protection, because not every child has parents that care about that and have their best interests at heart. We see with other types of abuse, yes, that also most of the time come from the family. You know, we see that a lot with even sexual abuse and physical abuse. And so much of the cases come inside the household. So we need a system to be able to speak up for that kid. So that's what I'm fighting for. And now I have an army of victims that are fighting for the same with me.

[Interviewer]

And you, I think, you know, not only by you speaking out with your voice and sharing your story, but by creating this community, you're giving these people confidence to share their story, you're giving them purpose. You know, even if right now they're not in the place that you thankfully have gotten to, it definitely makes them feel like they aren't alone. You know, you don't have to be ashamed of something that wasn't in your control. And I think that by having that community and those people, people that can really understand and have gone through the same thing, that's going to make people want to keep pushing and fighting and speaking out and owning their story to the best of their ability. Because obviously this is an issue, you know, this whole thing, obviously it leads to so many, you know, hardships. But one of the main things you mentioned for you, that you struggled with when you were younger was control. And being able to speak out and use your voice is a way to get that control back. And I think in a way that's so powerful.

[Renata]

Amen. Absolutely. That's exactly what I'm trying to do. And obviously I didn't say because it's not related to the story, but I have a little boy. His name is Luca. He's four now, love of my life. So I'm a mom and I just. Congratulations. And if I can just finish with one thing, first of all, I want to thank you for giving me the space. What you do that is. Is amazing. And I really want to come here to talk about child identity theft and financial abuse. And I am almost 90, sure that when this episode goes live, you, you're gonna see in the comments people saying the same thing happened to me.

[Interviewer]

Absolutely.

[Renata]

So, yeah, it's so underreported. It really is. So I want to tell, you know, the listeners that you're not, not alone here in the US There are resources. You can go to the Identity Theft center, they have an army for child identity theft, and it's really hard to fight it. So I don't want to give anyone false hope. It's still hard, but at least there is a way.

[Interviewer]

Yes.

[Renata]

And what I will say, especially as a mom, for other parents listening, is that here in the US you can freeze your child's Social Security number. So you go to the three creditors and you ask for that Social Security to be frozen, and no one can touch it. Okay. And then only when they're. When you decide that they, you know, are old enough to use it, then you can unfreeze. So it's a simple thing to do, but it can. It just. It can really save them.

[Interviewer]

Yes.

[Renata]

And protect them, for sure.

[Interviewer]

So important. Well, thank you so much. You did incredible. And please share those resources with me so that I can link them in the description and obviously anything of yourself as well. Well, so the people can get in touch with you and kind of follow along with your journey as well. But you're incredible. I think that, you know, I. I try not to get repetitive, but, like, I'm so proud of every single person that comes on here. But, you know, to turn your story into something where you can fight back, you're fighting for yourself, and you're fighting for so many other people that, you know, we're all one at the end of the day. And I feel like by you fighting for yourself and for all these other people that even people you might not even know or haven't even spoken to, you know, it just. It's almost like you're fighting for yourself again, 100% when you were that age or something.

[Renata]

You know, I'm fighting every day for little Renata.

[Interviewer]

Absolutely.

[Renata]

I agree with you. Yes. Well, thank you.

[Interviewer]

You did amazing, seriously.

[Renata]

And thank you so much for coming out here. Thank

[Interviewer]

you. Foreign.

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