The Less People Know About Us

A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity

By: Axton Betz-Hamilton

Narrated by: Laurie Winkel

In this powerful true crime memoir, an award-winning identity theft expert tells the shocking story of the duplicity and betrayal that inspired her career and nearly destroyed her family.

Axton Betz-Hamilton grew up in small-town Indiana in the early '90s. When she was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. Their credit ratings were ruined, and they were constantly fighting over money. This was before the age of the Internet, when identity theft became more commonplace, so authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents.

Axton's family changed all of their personal information and moved to different addresses, but the identity thief followed them wherever they went. Convinced that the thief had to be someone they knew, Axton and her parents completely cut off the outside world, isolating themselves from friends and family. Axton learned not to let anyone into the house without explicit permission, and once went as far as chasing a plumber off their property with a knife.

As a result, Axton spent her formative years crippled by anxiety, quarantined behind the closed curtains in her childhood home. She began starving herself at a young age in an effort to blend in - her appearance could be nothing short of perfect or she would be scolded by her mother, who had become paranoid and consumed by how others perceived the family.

Years later, her parents' marriage still shaken from the theft, Axton discovered that she, too, had fallen prey to the identity thief, but by the time she realized, she was already thousands of dollars in debt and her credit was ruined.

The Less People Know About Us is Axton's attempt to untangle an intricate web of lies, and to understand why and how a loved one could have inflicted such pain. Axton will present a candid, shocking, and redemptive story and reveal her courageous effort to grapple with someone close that broke the unwritten rules of love, protection, and family.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Axton Betz-Hamilton (P)2019 Grand Central Publishing

Critic reviews

"A brave, rueful memoir of fear and heartbreak in rural America. Axton Betz-Hamilton mines the most essential of life's questions: can we ever really know the people we love? The Less People Know About Us is an unflinching portrait of grit and determination in the wake of a fractured childhood and complicated grief." (Carolyn Murnick, author of The Hot One)

"The tension of a thriller...[and] jaw dropping revelations. Astonishing and disturbing, this emotionally resonant book is perfect for true crime fans." (Publishers Weekly starred review)

"This memoir has all the suspense and twists of a thriller; even as readers begin to suspect the truth, it still shocks...highly recommended." (Booklist)

"Axton Betz-Hamilton's story is remarkable. One of the primary challenges for those of us advocating for more rights and resources for identity theft victims is their reluctance to share their experience. Betz-Hamilton writes with candor and grace about both her relationship with her mother/perpetrator, and the long term effect victimization has had on her life." (Eva Casey Velasquez, president/CEO of Identity Theft Resource Center)

"'Identity theft' sounds like something that happens far, far away and only to other people...certainly not within a seemingly picture-perfect family in the rural U.S. In a gut-wrenching portrayal of victimization starting at age 11, Axton Betz-Hamilton shows that's simply not true. The stunning revelations will keep you looking over your shoulder for a long time and even more troubling...at the ones you think you know the best!" (Nancy Grace, legal commentator, broadcast journalist, and New York Times best-selling author of The Eleventh Victim)

Predictable

The author has a fascinating story and the narrator did a superb job but.....It's so predictable I skipped to the end. She could have done better not to give so much away in the beginning.

The less people know about us

What an interesting story sad story on the count of her mother and her condition but yet a good ending to where she found out who his identity theft and as soon as I heard her mother say oh it’s not personal I knew right away it was the mother yeah I Suspected her before that even

interesting story, good read

Well-written and interesting. Narration is excellent. I enjoyed getting to know the author through this book. While still interesting, it did seem a little slow moving at first but all of the background story is necessary in order for the reader to grasp the gravity of the situation. My purpose in reading/listening to books is to calm myself and learn. This book served both these purposes well. :)

Remarkable story!

Loved this. I like true stories. Axton went through so much and I appreciate her sharing her story, her truth, her vulnerability and her learnings. It kept me engaged the entire time. Remarkable story!

Oh My Goodness!

Totally fascinated by this story! The author did a fantastic job of telling the story of her life as a victim of identity theft! I would definitely recommend this book!

Holy Shit

This book definitely makes me feel better about my own family. It is well written, and it is well performed.

Amazing book

This book is one of the best that I have listened to in 2020. I first heard about the story on an NPR episode and was intrigued. Be careful, once you pick this up, it will be hard to put it down.

Loved it

Totally worth the listen !!! Doesn’t matter I knew the culprit early on. The story was amazing

Poor narration

The book was well written. I wish it was narrated better. Narration was too rushed and if I slowed it down it sounded too robotic! Was a little hard to keep listening and to attend 100%.

Loved it

Couldn't stop listening! The story kept surprising me at every turn. This one is worth a re-listen even!