In 2024, a 26-year-old man from the Nord region of France, known as Clément, discovered that his identity had been stolen. He is one of more than 40,000 people in France who became victims of identity theft in 2025, according to the French Ministry of the Interior. Identity theft often occurs when personal information is stolen from companies or institutions through data breaches. Clément faced significant challenges in proving his innocence, as the administrative procedures involved and the lack of support made the process very difficult for him. The fraud began when Clément’s photocopied identity card, given to a car rental agency, was used with forged documents to secure two loans of around 30,000 euros each from two different financial institutions. He later learned that he had been added to the national credit incident registry, known as the FICP, by the Bank of France. This registry is used to track individuals who have had credit issues. Clément tried to contest the issue through multiple channels, including the Bank of France, banks, the Defender of Rights, and the banking ombudsman, but all of these attempts were rejected. One of the banks refused the ombudsman’s proposal without providing any explanation, and Clément said there was no possible recourse. Clément was eventually audited by the financial police after one of the banks took the case to court, following similar fraud cases. However, he endured six months of stress and uncertainty, during which he experienced disturbed sleep and constant worry about additional entries in his FICP record. He also received medical support due to the emotional toll. Although the police investigation confirmed his innocence in late 2025, he remains on the FICP for another three years, which has made it difficult for him to obtain a mortgage. He now relies on private property listings and platforms like Leboncoin, as some real estate agencies check the FICP. Clément is waiting for the trial of the fraudsters to be completed so he can be removed from the registry. He believes that politicians should address this issue, especially during the presidential campaign. A petition on the National Assembly's website calls for urgent legislation to combat this systemic threat, highlighting the need for better protection against identity theft and its long-term consequences.