<p>Right…the employer just told him about it as an FYI.</p>
<p>equifax was the credit reporting agency I had the most difficulty with.
In monitoring my credit, I found that Equifax had me living at 18 different addresses in CA in a two year period.
There was also a completely different soc# associated with my file.
When I pointed out to them, that I was unlikely to have a main residence in Wa for over 20 years and many addresses in CA at the same time, they asked me to send them information proving I did not live in CA.
I filed a fraud report and eventually it was removed from my record.</p>
<p>However it took several tries , long enough that it interfered with refinancing our house & the points I paid for my car ins.</p>
<p>I have a sort of interesting related story… while at my high school reunion a couple of weeks ago, one of our classmates had her small wallet pick-pocketed at the mall. When she returned home, she consulted with a fraud and identity expert because she lives in another country and has a high ranking position with the company she works for. They told her to remove any vestiges of any information on the web that would identify her, including pictures. Our class had set up a website so that those who attended the reunion and took pictures, could upload them for people who weren’t able to make it. But we got an e-mail from the classmate victim who asked that we remove any pictures that included her, even though the website is password protected. Supposedly any pictures, personal information, etc., that could help identify her or link her to some community can be dangerous, so we all obliged.</p>
<p>But it just made me realize how dangerous identity theft can be, and how difficult it can be to resolve.</p>
<p>The US Dept of Justice even suggests contacting the FBI of the US Secret Service! See this page:</p>
<p>[Identity</a> Theft and Fraud](<a href=“http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html]Identity”>http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html)</p>
<p>There are quite a few cases listed about individuals who used someone else’s social security number.</p>
<p>Here is a link to the Federal Trade Commission:</p>
<p>[Federal</a> Trade Commission: Your National Resource About ID Theft](<a href=“http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/con_steps.htm#number]Federal”>http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/con_steps.htm#number)</p>
<p>And an article from ICE:</p>
<p>[Illegal</a> aliens sentenced on immigration, fraud and identity-theft charges](<a href=“http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/080317davenport.htm]Illegal”>http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/080317davenport.htm)</p>
<p>And an article about people that this actually happened to:</p>
<p>[The</a> secret list of ID theft victims - Security - MSNBC.com](<a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6814673/]The”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6814673/)</p>
<p>Here is a link to the California Office of Information Security. One of the document is “When your child’s identity is stolen.” It has all the information about how to deal with the credit agencies and the California Identify Theft Registration.</p>
<p>[Identity</a> Theft - California Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection (OISPP)](<a href=“http://www.oispp.ca.gov/consumer_privacy/identitytheft.asp]Identity”>http://www.oispp.ca.gov/consumer_privacy/identitytheft.asp)</p>
<p>Unfortunate for all parties. Dangerous to the nation as a whole. A big pain for everybody. US Taxpayer wins. The Undocumented lost (imagine paying an additional 7.5% in taxes besides federal and state, and never will be able to see a later benefit). </p>
<p>Another way is that you facilitated the undocumented to work in the US. I am sure that person is thankful; You Bad. You Good.</p>
<p>Since you mentioned that you work in a law firm, I would also consult with an atty to make sure you have all bases covered. You just never know------</p>
<p>What a coincidence that both applied with Albertsons!!! What a wild ride this job search has become! Good thing you’re finding all this out now.</p>
<p>Right, Toledo, discovering this info now (rather than when he applies for a car loan, or whatever) is probably a lot more valuable than the $6.25 an hour he will make!</p>
<p>In the 80s when I was practicing tax law, I had a client named Jane Smith (not her real name but her name was something basic like that) who had been assigned the same SSN as another Jane Smith in another state. No one knows how that happened and no one caught it until the other Jane Smith had some sort of tax lien and “my” Jane Smith had her wages attached. The Janes were in their mid-30s at this point.</p>
<p>No one could figure out how this happened but even though the IRS acknowledged the problem and that my Jane Smith was innocent, it still took over 2 years to straighten out!!!</p>
<p>OP has gotten some good advice here - report the problem to EVERYONE people have suggested and try to get your son’s SSN changed. The “good” news here is that he’s young so he doesn’t have a long record attached to his SSN so changing it now won’t be nearly the pain it would be when he’s older and more established. </p>
<p>No doubt the OP and her son are in for something of a bumpy road but it’s good you’ve discovered it now. Good luck!!</p>
<p>This happens way to frequently here in SoCal. It happened to me! I only discovered it when the IRS notified me that I owed back taxes. They informed me I owed thousands of dollars in penalties and interest! It was shocking and a nightmare to get it straightened out! They claimed I worked for some construction company 300 miles north of where I reside while working simultaneously here in SoCal. It’s just another example of how our government has dropped the ball with regards to immigration control into our country. SAD!</p>
<p>It also goes to show why organizations shouldn’t use the social security number as an ID number. Doesn’t it say that on the card? Of course everyone uses it because it is supposed to be unique and identifying. But it isn’t. Some organizations have moved to their own generated ID numbers so that social security numbers aren’t scattered all over the place but the IRS should probably use its own set of number - and hopefully something longer so that we don’t have to reuse SS numbers.</p>
<p>Hopefully she will be deported quickly.</p>
<p>For a few years, our SSN was our insurance ID number. It was printed right there on our insurance card! One year it even said, “SS#”. I always scraped mine off the plastic card. I complained every year. Finally, an employee’s purse was stolen as was her identity, and we got different insurance numbers.</p>
<p>What is interesting is that much of what I read is geared toward someone posing as the victim to get credit, etc. Since she is 45 and my son is 17 and she has been using the SSN for 17 years, the SSN thief actually has more of an identity with the soc. number than my son does.</p>
<p>Regarding deportation, if you search the net for ways to report possible illegal residents, you’ll be taken to amazing places. The ICE website has no vehicle for reporting. Apparently there are a few phone numbers to call but nothing is ever done (possibly unless they are suspected terrorists.) The radical anti illegal immigration web sites are quite up in arms that it isn’t easy to report someone and get them deported.</p>
<p>I thought birth year was encoded somehow in SS numbers.</p>
<p>I still say contact the Van Nuys Police Department and ask to talk to a fraud specialist. When I was a victim, a fraud guy came by my house and took all the info. However they couldn’t take action because I didn’t know who it was and because no transactions had yet occurred. In your case you have it all and the woman can be located, in addition to the fact that she’s been illegally using it for 17! years, with who knows what loan applications etc. The police fraud unit may involve the INS and the Feds. It’s worth a try.</p>
<p>I’ve been doing some reading and it’s rather depressing. Theft of only the SSN, where the person uses their own name, is almost always an illegal resident situation. One lady, upon being turned down for a job at Target, found that 37 other people were using her SSN. </p>
<p>The terrible thing is that when taxes and soc. sec payments are deposited under two or more names with the same number, the government puts it into unallocated funds and just keeps the money! Some allege that this is a reason why the government doesn’t fix the problem…it gets tax $$$ from illegals working in the US and then keeps all the money, together with all the money paid into social security.</p>
<p>^^^^Well there goes the only benefit I saw from your son’s situation.</p>
<p>It’s so scary. I wonder if there’s a way to find out whether our SSNs have multiple names.</p>