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Di Edra 141 52 Chicago	There's more than 1 kind of ID Theft to be VERY concerned about. 9/29/2006 7:49:41 AM
	Taxes Mount For Victim Of Social Security Theft WSB-TV ATLANTA ACTION NEWS 2 Illegal Immigrant Uses Social Security Number To Get Job POSTED: 12:42 pm EDT September 24, 2006 UPDATED: 12:56 pm EDT September 24, 2006 ATLANTA, Ga. -- When Jason Smith contacted the Internal Revenue Service to find out why his $600 tax refund hadn't arrived, he received a nasty surprise: the government was waiting for him to pony up $12,000 in back taxes. As it turned out, another "Jason Smith" racked up the unpaid taxes. An illegal immigrant named Nohe Gomez Hernandez had used Smith's Social Security number to get a job at a chicken plant in Bethlehem, Ga., and worked there under that false name for at least three years, long enough to be promoted from line worker to supervisor. Come Monday the state's highest court is expected to review whether Georgia's identity theft law applies to an illegal immigrant such as Hernandez, who was sentenced to two years in prison for violating that law after a jury found him guilty in April. Defense attorney Jana Whaley said Hernandez used Smith's name and Social Security number solely to get a job for his family and never tried to interfere with Smith's credit or accounts. **************** View this WEBCAST to increase your wisdom on the subject. It won't take your whole lifetime to view it, so do yourself a favor and hop on over there. PROTECT ME.

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Larry 4210 2241 Charle...	Re: There's more than 1 kind of ID Theft to be VERY concerned about. 9/29/2006 2:09:29 PM
	hello DiEdra....this is getting to be a hot item come election time...it will be interesting to see what happens after the elections ...Larry
	Larry Blethen http://www.bluelight-marketing.com larry.blethen@bluelight-marketing.com, 304-369-5603
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Di Edra

141

Chicago

Re: There's more than 1 kind of ID Theft to be VERY concerned about.

9/29/2006 4:18:32 PM

Thanks, Larry, for your post.

Yes, it will be interesting to see.

But, do you want to know what's even more interesting? While the government is holding the little guy (business owners) liable, I'm waiting for one of them to fine & jail themselves like they're telling us will happen to us should we be found guilty of "losing"
non-public info of another.

Did you happen to hear on Monday of this very week that the government had 217 laptops were "lost or stolen" which contained census data?

And... I'm including here a story done by MSNBC, if you haven't seen it before, you might be sick to your stomach afterwards. Here goes:

The secret list of ID theft victims

Consumers could be warned, but U.S government isn't talking

By Bob Sullivan

Technology correspondent

MSNBC

Updated: 11:22 a.m. CT Jan 29, 2005

Linda Trevino, who lives in a Chicago suburb, applied for a job last year at a local Target department store, and was denied. The reason? She already worked there -- or rather, her Social Security number already worked there.

Follow-up investigation revealed the same Social Security number had been used to obtain work at 37 other employers, mostly by illegal immigrants trying to satisfy government requirements to get a job.

Trevino is hardly alone. MSNBC.com research and government reports suggest hundreds of thousands of American citizens are in the same spot -- unknowingly lending their identity to illegal immigrants so they can work. And while several government agencies and private corporations sometimes know whose Social Security numbers are being ripped off, they won't notify the victims. That is, until they come after the victims for back taxes or unpaid loans owed by the imposter.

It's a thorny problem that cuts to the heart of America's undocumented worker issue. Immigration opponents say it's another reason to shut the borders tight; immigrant rights groups point out that identity theft is an inevitable outcome of unfair labor laws that push foreign visitors deeper into the shadows.

‘People need to wake up to this problem. They are destroying people’s credit, Social Security benefits, and everything else.’

— Richard Hamp

assistant attorney general for state of Utah

Either way, immigrant imposters with the least nefarious of intentions -- simply a desire to work -- often unknowingly victimize the rightful Social Security number holders. The problem is compounded by how often ripped-off numbers are used. James Lee, chief marketing officer for private data collection firm ChoicePoint, said the average victim of immigrant-based identity theft sees their Social Security number shared about 30 times.

"The numbers get passed around a family, and around neighborhoods," he said.

"People need to wake up to this problem," said Richard Hamp, an assistant attorney general for the state of Utah who has prosecuted several cases involving stolen IDs and illegal immigrants. "They are destroying people's credit, Social Security benefits, and everything else. This problem has been ignored by the federal government, and it's enormous."

But could Trevino, and all the other victims, be warned by the government? After all, several agencies and corporations found her when they wanted her money. Until then, not a single one had bothered to warn her that someone else was using her Social Security number.

Melody Millet's husband Steve was the victim of immigrant identity theft. None of the agencies involved are trying to tackle the problem because they all benefit from it, as does corporate America, she said. The IRS and Social Security collect extra taxes, lenders sell more loans and employers get inexpensive workers. Fixing the problem and telling all the victimized consumers would upset the delicate apple cart that is America's immigration policy, she said.

"The government is forcing people to share identities because they want to provide cheap labor to corporate America," Melody Millet said.

An undocumented immigrant worker managed to use Steve Millet's Social Security number for more than 10 years before the incident was discovered. Millet said the imposter managed to obtain a dozen credit cards, buy a car, and even a house using the stolen number and his own name. All the while, that imposter paid taxes, paid into Social Security, and took out loans using the stolen Social Security Number. All of those agencies had a record of the abused SSN; none bothered to tell Steve Millet.

"You can't find out except by accident," Melody Millet said. "They are not required to notify us. No one is required to notify you. The way it sits now, our lives were ruined. We will never have again a normal financial life."

This full story can be found by Googling
"The Secret List of ID Theft Victims".

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Consumers could be warned, but U.S government isn't talking

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