The Facts on Criminal Identity Theft
You are at home enjoying a family dinner when there is a knock at the door. You answer it to find several police personnel standing there with a warrant for your arrest. You are completely baffled, but here they are with your address, driver’s license and even your social security number. You have just become a victim of criminal identity theft in the worst way possible.
The Basics
The majority of consumers are aware of financial identity theft, but one that tends to not cross their minds is criminal identity theft. The act of criminal identity theft is when an identity thief uses your personal information (i.e. name, address and driver’s license number) when they are caught for an investigation or even if they are arrested. They will typically present a fraudulent driver’s license upon their arrest to the authorities, in which your name is presented to them for records.
The most common use of criminal identity theft is during traffic violations. These thieves will use a consumer’s driver’s license when being cited or pulled over for a traffic-related offense. They can also be used for misdemeanor arrests where the thief will sign documents stating they will appear for their court date or pay their citation only to ignore them after that. This is when most consumers will find they have fallen victim to identity theft – the police arriving with a warrant at their door.
Clearing Your Name
As the consumer, you will have to prove your innocence in the matter. One of those ways is by comparison of driver’s licenses. Since the authorities will typically have a copy of the driver’s license, they will also have a copy of a fraudulent photo. In some cases, however, they do not have a copy of the driver’s license and only recorded the license number itself. Here a consumer will have to compare handwriting and signatures to help clear their name. In the event the individual was arrested or detained for any reason, most police departments will have fingerprints on file for the individual in which they arrested. Therefore they can clear up the matter through fingerprint comparison.
No matter how your name is cleared, ensure that you are issued a court document stating your Letter of Clearance. Ensure that your criminal records are expunged and that the matter is no longer associated with your identity.