Immigrants stealing U.S. Social Security numbers for jobs, not profits

By John Leland The New York Times

Published: September 4, 2006

Camber Lybbert thought it was a mistake when her bank told her that her 3 years old daughter's Social Security number was on their files for two credit cards and two auto loans, with an outstanding balance of more than $25,000.

 For Lybbert and her husband, Tyson, the call was the beginning of a five- month scramble trying to clear up their daughter's credit history. As it turned out, an illegal immigrant, Jose Tinoco, was using their daughter's stolen Social Security number, not in pursuit of a financial crime, but in order to get a job. . .

"From what I've picked up, he wasn't using it maliciously," said Lybbert, who lives in Draper, Utah. "He was using it to have a job, to get a car, provide for his family. My husband's like, 'Don't you feel bad, you've ruined this guy's life?'

 "But at the same time," Lybbert added, referring to her daughter, "he's ruined the innocence of her Social Security number because when she goes to apply for loans, she's going to have this history."

Though most people think of identity theft as a financial crime, one of the most common forms in the United States involves illegal immigrants using fraudulent Social Security numbers to conduct their daily lives. . . .  continue reading

Find out how criminals may accessed Utah children's Social Security numbers