Criminal identity theft occurs when an imposter provides to law enforcement another person’s name and sensitive personally identifiable information during an investigation or upon arrest.
A thief provides identification and/or personally identifiable information in the victim’s name, through documentation or verbal representation, to law enforcement when cited for a traffic violation or for a misdemeanor violation. The imposter signs the citation and promises to appear in court. If the imposter does not appear in court the magistrate may issue a bench warrant using the victim’s information that was provided.
In some cases, the thief will appear in court for a traffic or misdemeanor violation and plead guilty. This establishes a criminal record in the victim’s name. In other cases, the thief is arrested and booked for a felony or another serious public offense, such as a DUI, which is recorded in the county and state criminal records database.
The most likely form of personally identifiable information a criminal uses is a Driver’s License or state identification number or card, which contains a unique license/identification number, name, address and date of birth.
If you are looking for direct assistance and a personalized plan to remediate your criminal identity theft, call an expert advisor for no-cost at 888.400.5530 or LiveChat with us.
