Imagine being stopped for a traffic violation in Florida. Now imagine the police officer tells you there is a warrant for your arrest in Pennsylvania. One problem – you have never been to Pennsylvania.

According to a story from the Greeley (CO) Tribune, this imagined scenario was a very real case of identity theft by an illegal alien for Daniel Ortiz, 33, who not only had never been to Pennsylvania but had only been out of Florida once. But the traffic stop was least of Ortiz’s problems with identity theft, for the Tribune also reported:

• He received letters from the Internal Revenue Service claiming that he owed additional taxes for income he received from jobs he worked in a number of states that he had never visited;
• His credit report showed multiple charges – including medical expenses and missed car payments totaling more than $20,000 – that were never paid for, and;
• He applied for a government construction job but was turned down because of his criminal record in Colorado and California, two states he had never visited.

Suspicious that he was a victim of identity theft and that someone was using his identification to find employment, make purchases, and commit crimes, Ortiz – on the advice of a collection agent for a bill that wasn't his – filed a criminal report with the Eustis, Florida Police Department, the Tribune reported.

The investigation found a “Daniel Ortiz” working a construction job in Greeley, Colorado – one who later admitted that his actual name was Jose Carlos Limon, that he purchased Ortiz's personal information years ago, and that he had entered the country illegally and was not a U.S. citizen, the Tribune reported, adding that Limon faces deportation and six felony counts of identity theft and forgery.

While Ortiz’s case had a happy ending, most victims of identity theft never find the person who stole their identity. According to Javelin Research, the number of identity theft victims in the U.S. reached almost 10 million in 2008, an increase of 22 percent over the previous year. Since identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, citizens should do everything they can to protect their identity.

One such protection against identity theft is for individuals to perform “personal” background checks on themselves to see if – like the unfortunate Mr. Ortiz – they have had someone commit crimes, use credit, or gain employment in their name. While most background check companies focus on employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com is a pioneer in consumer requested background checks that allow individuals to keep a close watch on their personal information and helps them in preventing criminal identity theft.

For more information on how “personal” background checks can help prevent identity theft, please visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. Follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com

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