Criminal / Character Identity Theft

When a criminal fraudulently identifies himself to police as another individual at the point of arrest, it is sometimes referred to as “Criminal Identity Theft.” In some cases criminals have previously obtained state-issued identity documents using credentials stolen from others, or have simply presented fake ID. Provided the subterfuge works, charges may be placed under the victim’s name, letting the criminal off the hook. Victims might only learn of such incidents by chance, for example by receiving court summons, discovering their drivers licenses are suspended when stopped for minor traffic violations, or through background checks performed for employment purposes.

It can be difficult for the victim of a criminal identity theft to clear their record. The steps required to clear the victim’s incorrect criminal record depend on what jurisdiction the crime occurred in and whether the true identity of the criminal can be determined. The victim might need to locate the original arresting officers and prove their own identity by some reliable means such as fingerprinting or DNA fingerprinting, and may need to go to a court hearing to be cleared of the charges. Obtaining an expungement of court records may also be required. Authorities might permanently maintain the victim’s name as an alias for the criminal’s true identity in their criminal records databases. One problem that victims of criminal identity theft may encounter is that various data aggregators might still have the incorrect criminal records in their databases even after court and police records are corrected. Thus it is possible that a future background check will return the incorrect criminal records. This is just one example of the kinds of impact that may continue to affect the victims of identity theft for some months or even years after the crime, aside from the psychological trauma that being ‘cloned’ typically engenders.

This one may be as bad as medical ID theft. The easiest way to find out if this has happened to you is to get caught speeding. The officer who stops you will run your license and registration. If there are warrants out for your arrest, s/he will give you a pretty set of matching silver bracelets, and free public transportation.

When dealing with this, expect a lot of skepticism. Police are told “It wasn’t me” almost every day.

For an example of “it couldn’t happen to you”, watch the videos below!

Even though you may be innocent of the crimes you have been charged with, are you in a situation like this lady to spend over $50,000 in attorney fees to get back your good name?

Now imagine it’s a carefree sunny day, you are driving down the road and all of a sudden you see those Flashing Lights in your rear-view mirror. Shoot! It’s a cop, but you didn’t do anything wrong so it’s no big deal, right? You pull over and give the police officer all the information he requested. The next thing that happens is that you are being asked to step out of your vehicle and while the officer is putting on your new polished silver bracelets, he is telling you that you are being arrested for an outstanding warrant in another state. All because your identity was stolen! Do you really think that your Bank, Credit Card, LifeLock’s IDT program or even those guys singing and playing the banjo in those funny commercials are going to help you resolve this unfortunate event? Think again!

* Learn more: Criminal Identity Theft