| You're driving on road one night, then you | | | | Ask your state Attorney General's office.If |
| notice there's a police cruiser following | | | | wrongful criminal offenses are linked to your |
| close behind you. You figure the cop just | | | | name, first contact the original arresting |
| wants to pass you, so you move over one lane, | | | | police/sheriff's department who originally |
| except he moves over too and stays on your | | | | arrested the impostor, or else the court who |
| tail, then you see the flashing red & blue | | | | issued the arrest warrant and file an |
| lights then "Woooop!!! wooooop!!!" You must | | | | impersonation report with them, and confirm |
| be wondering why you were pulled over. You | | | | your identity. Ask the police department to |
| weren't speeding nor breaking any traffic | | | | take your fingerprints, photograph you, and |
| laws and your tag is not expired. Maybe it's | | | | make official copies of your photo IDs, I.e.: |
| just a burned out taillight. "Sir may I see | | | | driver's license, passport, etc.. To claim |
| your driver's license and registration | | | | your innocence, ask the police to compare |
| please." Then comes the shocker! "SIR... step | | | | your fingerprints and photos with the |
| out of the vehicle." You get patted down for | | | | imposter's.Maintain a detailed log of all |
| weapons, drugs, etc.. "You're under arrest | | | | your phone conversions, paperwork, email |
| for outstanding warrants." On go the | | | | messages, contacts, etc.. Keep a detailed |
| handcuffs "Zzzzkkkkkk! Zzzzkkkkkk!" "You have | | | | record of all your expenses incurred. When |
| the right to remain silent..." By now, you | | | | writing the authorities you should always use |
| must be thinking "OH S---!!!". "I've never | | | | certified mail with return receipt. Email is |
| been arrested in my life!" After you've been | | | | generally not considered secure for sending |
| booked at the county jail, strip searched, | | | | confidential private information, so it's not |
| fingerprinted, and maybe spent the weekend in | | | | recommended if you can avoid it. The rule is |
| the slammer, you go before the judge only to | | | | never send out something via email that would |
| find out you're free to go, all charges | | | | not want to share with the public. Changing |
| dropped because it turns out you're not the | | | | your social security number is rarely |
| person they were looking for.Is this a case | | | | recommended as that usually causes more |
| of mistaken identity, or more likely, a case | | | | problems than it solves.If the arrest warrant |
| of STOLEN IDENTITY, or criminal identity | | | | is from another state or county, ask your |
| theft. The most common scenario is during a | | | | local police dept. to forward your |
| traffic citation or misdemeanor arrest, the | | | | impersonation report to the agency of the |
| imposter fraudulently provides to law | | | | jurisdiction where the arrest warrant, |
| enforcement somebody else's identification, | | | | traffic citation, or criminal conviction |
| usually always that of a friend or relative, | | | | originated.The police/sheriff's dept should |
| then skip town and simply not pay the traffic | | | | recall any arrest warrants and issue you a |
| fine or fail to appear in court as required. | | | | clearance letter or certificate of release in |
| Unlike financial identity theft, the victim | | | | the event you were arrested and booked. It's |
| is usually always known to the imposter. The | | | | essential to keep this document with you at |
| judge will of course issue a warrant for his | | | | all times in case you might be falsely |
| arrest. In many cases, the imposter either | | | | arrested again. Have official copies made at |
| stole or fraudulently acquired a phony | | | | the courthouse, in case it gets lost. Ask the |
| driver's license or ID card in the victim's | | | | agency to file the record of the follow-up |
| name. The impostor is most often wanted on | | | | investigation establishing your innocence at |
| outstanding warrants for failure to appear. | | | | the D.A's office and/or the court in the |
| The victim is usually arrested during a | | | | jurisdiction where the crime occurred. This |
| routine traffic stop. This type of identity | | | | will result in an amended complaint. |
| theft is easiest where the age and appearance | | | | Unfortunately once your name ends up in a |
| of the imposter and victim happen to be very | | | | criminal database, it's difficult to get it |
| similar. Police are tending to be much more | | | | completely removed. Ask that the key name or |
| cautious today in order to avoid false arrest | | | | primary name be changed from yours to the |
| lawsuits. Fortunately, unlike financial, | | | | imposter's name, or else to "John Doe" if the |
| criminal identity fraud is rare.Sometimes, | | | | imposter's true identity is unknown, with |
| the imposter was arrested for a serious | | | | your name noted as an alias.You will also |
| charge such as a felony or drunk driving, and | | | | want to clear your name within the court |
| the victim's identity ends up in the criminal | | | | records. Determine which state law(s) will |
| database system. The victim might in for a | | | | help you with this and how. If your state has |
| real shock when he is told he cannot buy a | | | | no formal procedure for clearing your record, |
| gun because he failed the instant background | | | | contact the D.A.'s office in the county where |
| check, or is one day called into his boss's | | | | the case was originally prosecuted. Ask the |
| office, to be informed he is being fired | | | | D.A.'s office for the appropriate court |
| because a criminal record showed up in a | | | | records needed to clear your name. |
| routine employee background check. In the end | | | | Unfortunately in some situations, you may |
| you probably wished this imposter were caught | | | | have no choice but to hire an attorney to |
| in Saudi Arabia where he would be sentenced | | | | help you clear your good name. You may want |
| to 100 lashes in the public | | | | to ask your state DMV if your driver's |
| square.Unfortunately, the criminal justice | | | | license was used by the imposter. Ask them to |
| system does not yet have a decent contingency | | | | flag your files for possible fraud.Overall, |
| plan in place to clear an innocent person's | | | | your best defense is prevention. Pick your |
| name. The burdon of clearing one's name lies | | | | friends carefully, and safeguard your drivers |
| mostly with the accused, sometimes with steep | | | | license, passports or other forms of ID.Visit |
| attorney's fees.Procedures to clear your name | | | | and learn more about criminal identity theft |
| from criminal databases varies according to | | | | and private investigation. Download the |
| state, or even individual counties. Some | | | | latest tools to aid you in your |
| states already have special procedures in | | | | investigations. |
| place for victims of criminal identity theft. | | | | |