What happens to criminals caught for identity theft? What will happen to my cousin if they prove it is her?
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Brent
hi yes they will do an investigation,
Once she is found guilty if her first offence she will be sent to court and then chances are for a first offence she will get some kind of community service and/or 1yr good behaviour bond.
Silly Girl
Cecil
First, contact the police (not using 911) give them the details and see if it’s a crime they prosecute. Some states, like Colorado, don’t have specific identity theft laws and may not be prosecuted by local authorities. If they do have such laws make sure you get directed to the proper authorities for this matter.
Outside of the local authorites the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the designated federal authority for ALL identity theft crimes. You can contact them and file a report on this situation.
In either case an investigation will be conducted. You don’t necessarily need to prove the writing on the card is your cousins. The fact that it’s not your writing can be proven easily. Additionally, the card company can be contacted to find out where the card was sent to. Add this to fact that the magazines are going to her home and you have a very compelling case.
Should she be prosecuted, her sentence could be vary, again depending on the state. With more recent crackdowns in punishing identity theft criminals she could be looking at anywhere from fines to well over a year in prison. It’s not something I can clearly define without more information.
If nothing else, start the processes of fixing your identity. Contact the FTC, they have a package available with sample letters you’ll want to write to creditors, credit agencies, and the magazine companies to help keep any of this off your credit report.