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I will try to find it later. There was an article about so much identity theft in Waukegan that after the person did their time they were released instead of reported if they did not have legal status. Now that Sheriff Curran is hooked up to Washington DC/ICE perhaps this could be rectified. Anyone that has been a victim of ID theft can tell you how stressful and time consuming it is to clear your record. Here are two entries in Police Beat that I recently saw.

November 19, 2008
waukegan


Deceptive Practice: A Waukegan man reported the theft of $2,850 from his checking account Nov. 11 at Great Lakes Credit Union. The victim said he noticed something was wrong when he tried to cash a check and was informed there were insufficient funds in his account. He also said he lost $500 in bank fees.

Identity Theft: A Michigan resident reported an unauthorized withdrawal of $1,263.43 from her bank account Nov. 13 at the Fountain Square Wal-Mart.

IDENTITY THEFT

• Alejandro Mireles-Aguirre, 26, 220 Newberry Ave., Libertyville, was stopped Nov. 8 for a traffic violation at Fourth Street north of Hurlburt Court. He was subsequently arrested for driving without a valid license and further charged with identity theft after it was discovered he had been using another person's social security number. His car was towed, and he was taken to bond court the next morning. His bond was set at $3,000, and he was given a Nov. 24 court date at Lake County Circuit Court in Waukegan.
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I would like the fake ID rings to be stopped in our area as well. Here is an example of a sting.


Nov 26, 2008 10:00 pm US/Central

CBS 11 News Uncovers Fake I.D. Operation In Dallas
Reporting
Jay Gormley DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―

It starts with two simple words - "El Tio" or "The Uncle" in English. It's the password that opens the door to a new identity.

After receiving a tip from a viewer, CBS 11 News went undercover in Northwest Dallas, along Harry Hines Boulevard to document an elaborate fake ID ring.

We sent a CBS 11 employee, undercover, to the location. He asked about getting a Texas ID card and was directed to "El Tio." The employee was then taken across the street to a boot store to have his picture taken. He handed over $20 as an up front payment.

We showed the hidden camera footage to Trooper Lonny Haschel, with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the same agency that issues Texas drivers' licenses and ID cards. Haschel said, "It's unfortunate that folks feel they have to go this route. Anytime anyone can obtain a driver's license or ID card without any documentation, that's definitely an issue."

Our undercover employee never provided any documentation to prove his identity. After leaving the $20 upfront payment, he was told to come back with a final payment of $80. An hour later, he returned and was handed a brand new Texas identification card.

Trooper Haschel wondered "What kind of numbers are they using? Are they using your date of birth or your driver's license number or did they just make one up?"

Five days after our first undercover buy, we sent a second buyer to the supermarket. He was joined by our first buyer who posed as his friend. Once again, the deal began with the words "El Tio," followed by money up front and then a photo. An hour later, our second buyer had a fake ID. This time, he purchased a Texas driver's license which cost a little more at a $120.

After seeing the hidden camera video of the second undercover purchase, Trooper Haschel remarked, "What we need to do, is take a look at this case a little further."

CBS 11 decided to do just that. We set up a third buy with yet another undercover employee. The routine was similar and the outcome was once again successful.

Buying a fake card is one thing, but can the ID's pass as real? Take a look at these two ID's. One is a real state driver's license and one is fake. Can you tell the difference? Finish reading the article and find at the answer at the bottom.

The fake cards include the state capitol, the Texas flag, a signature and even a hologram which is the same details found on a legitimate ID. The Department of Public Safety says it's impressed with the quality, which raises concerns about illegal immigration, underage drinking, and even terrorism.

CBS 11 News learned that several people are apparently tied to the illegal operation and there's no telling how long it's been up and running.

As we left Trooper Haschel he had a reminder for anyone participating in the making or use of fake ID's, "If you get into a felony situation, you're going to be doing jail time."

Okay, ready? Of the two ID's featured above, the one on top is fake. The ID for Esequiel Ayala is counterfeit.

(Go to source to view the two reproductions of Texas Driver's Licenses)
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KIRK, ROSKAM: SECURE SOCIAL SECURITY CARD NEEDED TO PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT AND PROTECT TRUST FUND

U.S. Representatives Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam announced legislation today requiring the Social Security Administration to develop secure Social Security cards to combat the rising problem of identity theft and immigration fraud. The representatives were joined by Waukegan Police Chief Bill Biang at a press conference in the Dirksen Federal Building.

“Since Social Security started in 1935, more than 450 million Social Security cards have been issued,” Congressman Kirk said. “Over the years, we’ve had 50 card variations, but all have one common element – they are too easy to counterfeit. According to a 2005 Government Accountability Office report, employers reported the use of 1.4 million Social Security numbers that don’t exist. Additionally, nearly 1.7 million numbers have been used by multiple individuals, some as many as 500 times or more. It’s time we upgrade Social Security cards with photos and biometric data like a fingerprint to protect seniors from identity theft and prevent draining of Social Security trust funds.”

"Identity theft is the number one consumer complaint in Illinois," said Roskam. "For years individual states have taken proactive steps to update their identification cards, while the federal government has done nothing. Our nation's families, especially seniors, have worked and saved to secure their future and need the reassurance that their financial nest egg is safe."

The Kirk-Roskam legislation would require the development of a tamperproof and wear-resistant Social Security card. Individuals older than 15 would be required to have a digitized photo on the card, as well as an encrypted, machine-readable electronic bar code with embedded biometric identifiers.

In 2006, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials made 1,272 arrests for identity and benefit fraud. While there is not central database for confiscated fraudulent Social Security card statistics, regional illegal document rings illustrate a systemic problem.

Last April, federal agents arrested 23 individuals and broke up an illegal document ring in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago. Officials estimated that up to 100 fake Social Security cards were issued each day at the location. According to the Northern Illinois U.S. Attorney’s Office, the enterprise netted $3 million per year for a violent Mexico-based crime syndicate. ICE broke up a similar ring in the same neighborhood in December 2005. Last October, Cook County Sheriff’s detectives arrested two individuals for manufacturing hundreds of fake identification documents in Chicago’s West Lawn neighborhood. Outside of the Chicago area, one ICE raid in Washington, DC, netted 880 fake Social Security cards.

Waukegan Police Chief Bill Biang discussed his department’s efforts to combat illegal document rings in northern Illinois. Police raids discovered numerous crimes of identity theft, including criminals purchasing homes and cars with stolen Social Security numbers. For as little as $100 dollars, an individual in Waukegan can purchase a fake Social Security card.

“Many government agencies already use secure IDs, including the Department of Defense,” said Congressman Kirk, an actively-drilling U.S. Navy Reserve intelligence officer. “An ID with a bar code embedded with biometric data, as well as a picture, will help prevent counterfeiting. We have the technology now – there is no excuse to use a document that anyone can forge at a Kinkos.”

Individuals can report Social Security card fraud by calling the Social Security Administration Inspector General’s hotline at 800-269-0271, or by visiting <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ssa.gov/oig/hotline/">http://www.ssa.gov/oig/hotline/</a><!-- m -->.
Anyone know if this legislation is going anywhere?


New Social Security card merits debated

April 10, 2008, 3:35 pm - Pioneer Press
Would a more secure, tamperproof Social Security card help reduce the likelihood of identity theft? U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk and some local police think so, but others are skeptical.

Kirk, R-10th, of Highland Park, has introduced legislation with Rep. Peter Roskam, R-6th, of Glen Ellyn, that would require the development of a wear-resistant card featuring a photograph, fingerprint and electronic bar code with biometric identifiers.
Kirk said initially he would like to see the card offered to any American who wants it, and hopes it would eventually become standard across the country.

"I think its time has come," said Kirk. "Identity theft is becoming more and more prevalent, and it's especially devastating to seniors living on fixed incomes."

Critics of the plan, including Ed Yohnka of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, question how much added security Kirk's proposed new Social Security card would actually provide because the card would be voluntary.

"How much security are you actually adding if it's optional?" he said.

Even some in law enforcement question if a more secure Social Security card would have much impact on identity theft.

Kevin Parker, deputy chief of investigations for the Lake County Sheriff's Office, said most cases of identity theft the sheriff's department investigates involve illegal use of a stolen Social Security number, and rarely does he hear of criminals using fraudulent Social Security cards to steal somebody's identity.

"You don't need the physical card in order for a Social Security number to be stolen and used fraudulently," he said. "No one cares about the card. They care about the number."

Police in Mundelein and Waukegan say counterfeiting of Social Security cards is a growing problem, not only in cases of identity theft but with illegal immigrants obtaining fake IDs so they can apply for jobs and driver's licenses.

Last month, Mundelein Police and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement service arrested a man for making phony Social Security cards, driver's licenses and permanent residence cards.

Mundelein Police Chief Raymond Rose said the case points to the need for greater security of all forms of identification, particularly Social Security cards, which are among the easiest documents to counterfeit. The phony documents are often used by illegal immigrants to obtain other identification such as driver's licenses, credit cards or even Passports.

"This is getting to be pretty big business," he said.

Waukegan Police Chief William Biang, who also supports Kirk's proposed legislation, estimates Waukegan police confiscate at least 200 fake Social Security cards per year.
Confusedhock:

"These things are sold on the streets from anywhere from $100 to $500, depending on the quality and whose selling them. They're used to buy cars, houses, establish credit or get driver's licenses," Biang said.


In most cases, Biang said, the cards are purchased by illegal immigrants to obtain work, but often the counterfeit cards include a real Social Security number.

He recalled one case where a Waukegan resident obtained a counterfeit Social Security card with somebody else's Social Security number and used the card to obtain a job, establish credit and buy a house and car. He said police finally learned of the scheme when a California man with the same Social Security number began receiving phone calls from the IRS asking why he was not reporting income from Waukegan.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service made 1,272 arrests for identity and benefit fraud in 2006, according to Kirk's office.

Pat Reilly, a spokesperson for ICE, said a more reliable Social Security card that is harder to counterfeit would potentially make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to obtain jobs or driver's licenses.

"It's one aspect of the illegal immigration problem," she said.
Kirk said his primary reason for proposing the legislation was to protect seniors from identity thieves, and immigration fraud was a secondary issue.

But Yohnka said the proposal seems more targeted at illegal immigrants than it does identity theft.

"It sure seems to me these proposals are aimed at attempting to put some kind of Band-Aid on the immigration problem rather than to address identity theft," he said.

Yonhka said the ACLU is also concerned that a secure Social Security card could become the first step toward a "national ID card," and citizens would be required to produce the card whenever they board a bus or train, enter a building or make a purchase.

"I think it's sort of in the realm of proposals we see for a national identification card that permits government to capture and track information about law-abiding individuals across the country," he said. "I think that kind of government surveillance without a proper law enforcement purpose is always dangerous."

Kirk said his legislation would not change existing privacy laws regarding the appropriate use of Social Security information by government employees.

"We're not changing basic Social Security law," he said. "We're just making sure the card is harder to counterfeit."

While no central database exists on fraudulent Social Security card statistics, some federal agencies do keep records of Social Security identity theft complaints.

Jonathan Lasher, deputy chief counsel to the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration, said their office received 12,285 misuse allegations involving Social Security numbers and cards during fiscal year 2007. While they do investigate some cases of counterfeit or stolen Social Security cards, he said most of the complaints they receive involve the misuse of Social Security numbers.

Kirk acknowledges that a more secure card alone is only part of the solution to identity theft. He plans to introduce legislation to ban the sale of Social Security numbers and provide stiffer penalties for individuals who illegally use Social Security numbers to commit identity theft.
Have you ever been a victim of identity theft? The victim suffers for a long time, it's a real headache to clear your financial history, it's embarrassing... I know. And yet this Waukegan woman only got a year's probation and faces 'possible' deportation. Let our police and courts know that these types of crimes need to be taken more seriously. Can you imagine the fraud and identity abuse that goes on in Waukegan with our foreign nationals?

Go to the WKRS podcast page, there is a recent entry about local identity theft. One woman added her store doesn't prosecute anyone who shop-lifts and is an illegal alien (they ask status) as it is too much paperwork. Someone else added that we must start making more calls and raise the alarm about this issue. Save someone else from being a victim.


Waukegan woman gets probation for ID theft
By Tony Gordon | Daily Herald Staff


Published: 1/6/2009 5:01 PM


A Waukegan woman was placed on probation for one year Tuesday after admitting she used a stolen Social Security number to get a job.

Lake County Circuit Judge Fred Foreman told Beatriz Aguilar, 24, she faces possible deportation for pleading guilty to felony identity theft.


Assistant State's Attorney Reginald Matthews said a Round Lake Park resident contacted police in that village in July when he was notified he was being audited by the Internal Revenue Service.

Matthews said the man was told he had not been reporting the income he earned since 2003 at a grocery store in Bannockburn, even though he had never worked at the store.

Police took the man's Social Security number to the store, Matthews said, where officials identified Aguilar as the person who was using it.

Aguilar, of 2854 Hillside Ave., told police she bought the number not long after entering this country from Mexico in August, 2003.

Foreman also ordered Aguilar to perform 50 hours of public service and barred her from possessing any Social Security numbers. Confusedhock:

Mathews said Aguilar could have faced up to three years in prison if convicted after a trial.

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posted by ranman on Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:14 PM


I am amazed, any one who is not a legal resident, who commits a felany should be on the first boat or plane leaving. I was a victim of identy theft over two years ago, and I am still cleaning it up. Every time I get a loan, credit card, or finance anything. The people who stole it were never caught. They ran up a bill of over $25,000 including two Rolex watches from Zales. We all pay for this crime every time we shop at stores, or pay finance charges on credit cards. Stealing is stealing period. she should be in Jail. I am sure if a Judge had his Identy stolen, he would not be so willing to let someone off so easy.