Bill would help youth identity theft victims

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — By the time Carlos Hernandez turned 18,
little did he know his credit was trashed. Since the age of 9, he had
obtained a mortgage, bought cars, obtained credit cards — and racked
up loads debt. He had a criminal record, too — not his own — which
kept him out of the Navy.

But since the crimes against his identity were committed years before
he even knew what identity theft was, prosecution was out of the
question because the statute of limitations had lapsed.

That would change under a bill heard Wednesday by the Assembly
Judiciary Committee.

AB83, sponsored by Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, would
extend the prosecution period for victims under 18 and allow charges
to be filed within four years of when they discover the crime.
Existing law limits prosecution to three years from when the crime
occurs.

Hernandez, of Las Vegas, told legislators he had no idea of his
troubles until he tried to buy a car last year, two days after his
18th birthday. He was denied a loan.

"They gave me records as far back as when I was 9 years old," he said.
The reports showed cars purchased under his name had been repossessed,
a home had been foreclosed upon, and thousands of dollars in credit
card bills were unpaid.

Hernandez said he was in ROTC through four years of high school and
wanted to join the Navy. But the military wouldn't have him after his
record showed arrests for drunken driving and domestic violence.

Trying to regain his own identity — and proving the records false —
has been frustrating, he said.

He's been working with credit reporting agencies, and the IRS is investigating.

"I have to wait and get a letter from the IRS that their investigation
is completed and it's not me," he said.

Sgt. Anthony Aguillard of the Las Vegas Police Department said
identity thieves look for dormant Social Security numbers — generally
indicating children — and sell them to brokers who sell them to people
who rack up debt.

"They will run up credit cards, then discard them," he said.

Aguillard said another witness who was scheduled to testify spent time
in jail because her ex-roommate's brother had used her Social Security
number when he was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle. When
he didn't appear in court, a warrant was issued and the woman was
arrested.

Authorities said stealing children's identities is attractive to
thieves because the crime often goes undetected until the victim
becomes an adult and applies for credit.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, as many as 400,000 children
were victims of identity theft in 2007, with parents reporting victims
as young as 11 months.

Police agencies say children are now the fastest growing segment of
identity theft victims.

There was no opposition to the bill.