Imagine you are driving your car and get pulled over for a light out on your car, the next thing you know you are being taken to jail on a bench warrant. You are beng charged for crimes that you did not do but the records have your information and this has happened to you more than once. Problem, your identity has been sold on the black market and you are being charged for crimes, your life is being turn apart. What a nightmare. What would you do?
Oh my God, what a terrible thing to happen to a person. I'm so sorry that your going through all that. Do you know who it is? I would go to court and get documents that say you are the real person and not responsible for what the other person who stole your identity is doing. Your right it's a real nightmare. If you can't afford a lawyer, Legal Aide may be able to help you. I am so sorry you are going through this. Has your credit been hacked into? That's another nightmare. You need to check your credit.
More like, what did I do. Well, I have never been arrested due to mistaken identity, but I have had someone use my name and social security number to file their taxes. So, what did I do, after I went through the shock and anger? Well, I spent hours and days trying to prove I was the real me. Good luck; although, I really hope you are just writing about a hypothetical situation. I tend to think so. Arrest records have fingerprints and a picture for identify purposes. Anyways, first rule (as Linda points out), you have the right to an attorney, if your can not afford one, one will be appointed to you, at least in the USA.
Hi Pat, I can't stop thinking what a horrible situation you're in. I have another idea, take your situation to the prosecutor and see if they will take your case and arrest the person who stole your identity. I don't know if that will work but I would try it.
No this did not happen to me but it has happened to a young lady I think in California that has had her idenity stolen. I can not imagine what she is going thru to try to get her life back together because of some one using her information. This type of thing is happening every day to many people. Thanks for the concern.
Hahaha, really funny if base our opinion on Pat's avatar, but based on the fact this issue happened for real, I would say that nobody is really prepared to know what to do in this case. We are always hearing about identity theft, this and that, but the last we can think of is having someone selling our information on the black market, and then getting us involved in crimes. The much we can expect is having someone using our personal information in an attempt to empty our bank accounts or something like that. Therefore, I don't know what I would do despite I'm aware that identity theft may happen to anyone, anytime.
I'd wake up! And see who's been snooping in on my files. Or go to the press, be interviewed, tell the truth and let the media sensationalize the rest of the fraudulent acts of these evil thieves. I can't afford a lawyer.
You had us going there for a minute we thought it had happened to you. Too bad it has actually happened to someone. I can't imagine what I would do. I was just accursed of taking money once at work, which I didn't do and I was devestated by it. I can just imagine what a horrible nightmare this poor girl is actually going there. I don't know what I would do in such a situation. You want to tell everyone your innocent but it seems like they don't want to listen to you. I can only hope this girl can get the whole thing straigtened out. This is a horrible thing to have happen to someone.
I'd get a lawyer ASAP! I haven't had this particular scenario take place, but years ago, in the early days of the internet, My CC company call me about some jewelry that I had supposedly bought on credit in New York! I hadn't been to New York in 20 plus years, and I certainly hadn't bought thousands of dollars worth of jewelry! Someone had acquired my CC info, and managed to buy some jewelry in my name. I finally got it straightened out, but it took awhile!