Some ID Theft Is Not for Profit, but to Get a Job

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/04/us/04theft.html

By JOHN LELAND
Published: September 4, 2006

Camber Lybbert thought it was a mistake when her bank told her that her daughter’s Social Security number was on its files for two credit cards and two auto loans, with an outstanding balance of more than $25,000. Her daughter is 3 years old.

For Ms. Lybbert and her husband, Tyson, the call was the beginning of a five-month scramble trying to clear up their daughter’s credit history. As it turned out, an illegal immigrant named Jose Tinoco was using their daughter’s stolen Social Security number, not in pursuit of a financial crime, but to get a job.

“From what I’ve picked up, he wasn’t using it maliciously,” said Ms. Lybbert, who lives in Draper, Utah. “He was using it to have a job, to get a car, provide for his family. My husband’s like, ‘Don’t you feel bad, you’ve ruined this guy’s life?’ But at the same time, he’s ruined the innocence of her Social Security number because when she goes to apply for loans, she’s going to have this history.”


Camber Lybbert, with her daughter, Tyler, and son, Tanner, spent an estimated 30 hours a week for five months cleaning up Tyler’s credit history after the 3-year-old’s Social Security number was stolen.


Though most people think of identity theft as a financial crime, one of the most common forms involves illegal immigrants using fraudulent Social Security numbers to conduct their daily lives. With tacit acceptance from some employers and poor coordination among government agencies, this practice provides the backbone of some low-wage businesses and a boon to the Social Security trust fund. In the 1990’s, such mismatches accounted for around $20 billion in Social Security taxes paid.

FULL story at link above.

[lvx35]

1. Who REALLY benifits here?

All this person should have had to have shown the three major credit companies was the fact that her daughter was three. Everything should have been wiped...Yet it wasn't, and a whole lot of people profit off cleaning up bad credit....I don't like the credit system at all.

[Mythsaje]

2. Yup...

the whole credit thing is a scam. And this is just one more piece of evidence to that fact.

The whole industry can take a long walk off a short pier.

[liberalhistorian]

4. You would think so, wouldn't you?

Unfortunately, it ain't that simple. Creditors love to make it very simple to open accounts, to the point where they almost never verify and check provided information even AFTER being hit with several multi-million dollar judgments, yet they make it harder than softening a repuke's heart to clear even simple things like that up. The circumstances, including the age of the victims, doesn't mean shit to them, it still takes forever to clear things up and they treat you as if YOU are the criminal the whole time. THEY are the ones who are largely at fault in the majority of ID theft cases.

[NYC]

8. 30 hours a week for 5 months.

And that's to clean up a baby's credit history.

[liberalhistorian]

3. What bullshit! It doesn't matter what the purpose

of identity theft is, it's always a horrendous crime that does often irreparable damage and takes forever to clear up. It infuriates me that, on top of all of the other problems caused by illegal immigration, we now have to deal with the cavalier use of our SSN and personal information by illegal immigrants, which is largely the fault of the employers who hire them. And where the hell was the bank in all of this? They should have damn well done a much better job of checking the SSN out, it would have taken them all of maybe five minutes or less to do so.

As for feeling bad about ruining someone's life, tough shit. Fraudulent use of SSN causes untold havoc and problems for the victims, and such careless thoughtlessness is inexcusable. I know, because I often help people try to clean up their lives after being the victim of identity theft, and it ain't pretty.

Again, where the hell are the employers and creditors on this? This is largely their fault.

[truthisfreedom]

5. big corporations do NOT want this theft to stop. it's extremely profitable

for the rethugs... why would they allow coordination between agencies to catch this sort of thing? i mean, it is incredibly easy to match ages, at least, of social security number holders. Tyler's ss number was for a 3-year-old!

obviously, this loophole has been left in place ON PURPOSE.

[Democrats_win]

6. Part of the problem is that you must have an ID to get a crap job.

It's the covenant Americans made with the government in 1986 in exchange for the government's promise to go after companies that hire illegal immigrants. We see how well that worked.

[FILAM23]

7. So what does it matter the reason for the ID theft

who ever does it, for whatever reason, needs to
be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and receive
the maximum punishment

[michreject]

10. I agree

The person using the stolen SSN cared not one bit about the person whose legit number it was.

The immigration problem has to be resolved.

[bluestateguy]

9. I'm sorry but that guy should be deported or jailed

and the employer should be put out of business or jailed if he knowingly used someone else's SSN.