Hundreds of Utah children at center of identity theft


2 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Miranda is a fun-loving 8-year-old, who — on paper — is pulling in thousands of dollars a year.

Miranda's mother Rachel knew her daughter had a certain talent for sidewalk chalk art. Still, imagine the surprise when a letter in 2012 arrived in the mail from the Utah Department of Workforce Services saying Miranda was earning wages.

"It was kind of terrifying," Rachel said. "I opened the notice and it said her Social Security number is being used."

"We were scared," Rachel added. "She was only 6. It's like, what do we do?"

The letter from Workforce Services directed the family to the Utah Attorney General's Office ID Theft Central website. Rachel immediately filed a complaint there, notified the police, and put a credit freeze on Miranda. She called the process "involved."

"We keep all our Social Security numbers in a safe," Rachel said. "It's not like I'm carrying it around in my purse for it to be taken or anything. They're protected, they're under lock and key."

Child identity theft a local, national concern

According to Carnegie Mellon, Miranda's family is part of a budding national trend. Identity thieves have started specifically targeting the unused Social Security numbers of children.

Scott Morrill, program manager for IDTheft.Utah.gov, says the problem is a growing daily concern at the Attorney General's Office. "We have over 500 cases we're looking at."

The Attorney General's Office partnered with Transunion credit bureau to keep thieves from using a child's Social Security number to obtain credit. Today, about 13,600 Utah children are in this free program. According to Morrill, Utah's one-stop-shop to report, track and review identity theft is a one-of-a-kind program in the U.S.

Identity theft is not a victimless crime.

Morrill has seen victims of fraud amass huge debts, like teenagers with $300,000 mortgages to infants who have had their identity stolen before birth.

A child could end up owing back taxes while never having worked a day in his life, according to Morrill. "Now you're harming the child because you're preventing the child from receiving the benefits it needs."

Morrill says thieves make up Social Security numbers and then sell them on the streets. He explained the numbers could be used to obtain credit, find employment or both.

Credit fraud against a child's Social Security number is easier to detect than wage fraud. Morrill explained a parent can freeze a child's credit, flagging a misused number.

When it comes to wage fraud, parents who sign up for state benefits will receive a notice from the Utah Department of Workforce Services if the Social Security number is possibly being misused.

"It's a huge problem for the children and they might not know for years, but here in Utah certain segments of the population will find out sooner," Morrill said.

Businesses can be part of the solution

In 2011, the Utah Legislature passed the "Utah Immigration Accountability and Enforcement Act," requiring businesses to verify a person's employment eligibility.


Hours and hours on the phone and just — frustration. Everytime I'd get that letter, the rest of the day was just shot. I would be just so frustrated, so overwhelmed.

–Rachel, Miranda's mother


Four years later, the act has yet to take effect. Verifying that non-government workers are legal to work in-state — done through the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify program — is completed on a voluntary basis in Utah. According to Morrill, less than 10 percent of Utah businesses use the program.

In the spring 2014 legislative session, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed Senate Bill 203 into law, delaying the E-Verify mandate to no later than July 1, 2017.

In Miranda's case, 38 year-old Utah County resident Mauricio Rodriguez is charged with two counts of identity fraud. Both counts carry a possible second-degree felony sentence.

Court documents say Rodriguez was working at a company in Spanish Fork. The employer said it began using E-Verify last year. However, workers employed prior to a company's use of the system are exempt.

"It's frustrating," Rachel said. "It sounds like it was an undocumented person. They need to work, I understand that. But it's not fair that they're doing it at the expense of my daughter."

'This is one of the results of our broken immigration system'

At the 4th District Court in Provo, attorney J. Christopher Keen represents Rodriguez. Keen solely practices immigration law, with a special emphasis on the criminal defense of non-U.S. citizens facing deportation. He says cases like Rodriguez's highlight a troubled American immigration system.

"Generally people want to come where there are jobs, they need the work and the employers need employees," Keen said.

"People want to come and get a good job, people want to work for an honest wage and when people are unable to obtain the right documentation sometimes things like this happen."

Rodriguez's case affects more than himself: He has a 1 year-old. Keen told KSL-TV that while in custody, Rodriguez's baby was placed in foster care.

"In the United States, immigration is a very difficult political issue, but the consequences are very serious for everybody," Keen said. "We need a way to fix this so families can be together."

Keen believes the government should grant people like Rodriguez a work permit or Social Security number, something he says is practically impossible under the current system.

"The immigration system is broken and this is one of the results of our broken immigration system."

After Keen spoke to KSL-TV, Rodriguez was released from jail on bail. He still faces state criminal charges of identity fraud.

Keen said immigration officials will not pursue separate charges against his client because his circumstances make the case a low priority.

Miranda gets her identity back

Miranda got her Social Security number back, eventually. It took three years, "countless" phone calls and "massive anxiety," according to her mother.

"Hours and hours on the phone and just — frustration," Rachel said. "Everytime I'd get that letter, the rest of the day was just shot. I would be just so frustrated, so overwhelmed."

After three years of this, Rachel contacted KSL. The investigative team alerted Utah's attorney general. The office took action, investigating the case, and within a few weeks a special strike force arrested Rodriguez.

"It felt like the ball was finally in motion, that things were going the way they were supposed to be going" Rachel said. "It sounds like my case accidentally got closed. They reopened it, and I think made it a priority."

Rachel said diligent bookkeeping is key to other families dealing with child identity theft.

"Document, document everything,"Rachel said. "Document everything, then put a credit freeze on.

"It's hard, but it's worth it in the long run."

Photos

Related links

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

UtahFamily
Torin Koos and Debbie Dujanovic

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast