Miranda's mother Rachel received a letter saying Miranda was earning wages under her social security number. This was alarming as Miranda was only 6 years old. Rachel filed a complaint with the Attorney General's office and put a credit freeze on Miranda. It was later discovered that a 38-year-old man named Mauricio Rodriguez had been using Miranda's social security number to gain employment. Rodriguez was charged with identity fraud. Rachel had to spend years dealing with the identity theft before Miranda's social security number was returned to her.

1. SALT LAKE CITY — Miranda is a fun-loving 8-year-old, who — on paper — is pulling in
thousands of dollars a year.
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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.
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"It was kind of terrifying," Rachel said. "I opened the notice and it said her Social
Security number is being used."
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"We were scared," Rachel added. "She was only 6. It's like, what do we do?"
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2. 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."
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"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."
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Child identity theft a local, national concern
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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Identity theft is not a victimless crime!
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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"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.

3. !
Businesses can be part of the solution!
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In 2011, the Utah Legislature passed the "Utah Immigration Accountability and
Enforcement Act," requiring businesses to verify a person's employment eligibility.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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"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."
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'This is one of the results of our broken immigration system'!
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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.
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"Generally people want to come where there are jobs, they need the work and the
employers need employees," Keen said.
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"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."
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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.

4. !
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E-verify Information!
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"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."
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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."
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After Keen spoke to KSL-TV, Rodriguez was
released from jail on bail. He still faces state criminal
charges of identity fraud.
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Keen said immigration officials will not pursue
separate charges against his client because his
circumstances make the case a low priority.
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Miranda gets her identity back!
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Miranda got her Social Security number back, eventually. It took three years,
"countless" phone calls and "massive anxiety," according to her mother.
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"Hours and hours on the phone and just — frustration," Rachel said. “Every time I'd get
that letter, the rest of the day was just shot. I would be just so frustrated, so
overwhelmed."
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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.
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"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."
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Rachel said diligent bookkeeping is key to other families dealing with child identity
theft.
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"Document, document everything,"Rachel said. "Document everything, then put a
credit freeze on.
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"It's hard, but it's worth it in the long run."