Nevada bill seeks to counter child ID theft

Growing concern about identity thieves stealing the identities of children is motivating Nevada lawmakers to crack down on the practice. According to the Nevada Appeal, state assembly speaker John Oceguera told the state's judiciary committee that complaints about child identity theft spiked 78 percent in the last year and that legal action must be taken. "The problem with children is they don't know it happened," Oceguera said. "They're probably not going to find out until 18 when they try to get a house or get a credit card. I don't believe children should be required to address a problem they don't know about." Carlos Hernandez, 19, testified at the hearing that he was victimized by identity theft when he was nine years old, only to find about it after his 18th birthday. He said the issue came to light when he applied for loan and was later refused entrance into the United Stated Navy because of crimes committed by the identity thief. Hernandez told the Appeal that he currently faces $4,000 in debt and has a default on his mortgage and car loans.