Story from local paper By ANDY PORTER of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin WALLA WALLA -- Years of nasty phone calls, threatening letters and frustration have hopefully come to an end for Ricardo Duran. A victim of identity theft, Duran has endured one accusation after another of running up bad debts while the suspected culprit, a man named Sergio O. Morales, managed to elude investigators. But the masquerade came to a screeching halt last week when Sacramento, Calif., detectives knocked on Morales' door and arrested him. "This guy became Ricardo Duran," said Walla Walla Police Detective Miguel Sanchez, who has worked on the case since Duran found out somebody was using his identity in late 2001. For Sanchez, this was another warning tale of why people can't be too careful when it comes to guarding their personal information. The long-running case began after Morales somehow obtained Duran's Social Security number, date of birth and his mother's maiden name, Sanchez said. With those in hand, Morales assumed Duran's identity, even to the point, police say, of hiding his real name from the girlfriend he was living with in Sacramento. Duran said he found out he was a victim of identity theft Dec. 15, 2001, when a credit agency called "and told me they had been trying to get hold of me for the past six months for an outstanding balance of $1,200." That was impossible, Duran told the caller, because he had recently paid off his account. When it became apparent somebody else was charging items under his name, Duran contacted police and soon found himself talking to Sanchez. As the case developed, Sanchez said he came close to catching Morales as he used his false identity, but the man proved maddeningly elusive. "We were able to track him down twice before as a suspect, both times in California, but both times he quit and disappeared before police could catch up," Sanchez said last week. In the meantime, Duran found himself constantly battling to clear his name with credit agencies demanding payment for debts Morales' had created. Each time another creditor called, Duran relayed the information to Sanchez and sent the creditor a copy of the police report of the identity theft. Sometimes that satisfied creditors and sometimes it didn't, Duran said, leading to rounds of increasingly acrimonious calls and letters. A major break finally came last year when Duran located his alleged alter ego in Sacramento. "He purchased a vehicle in my name and it came up on my credit report," he said. An attempt to track the man through the car dealership met a dead end, but a complaint was filed with the Sacramento Police Department. The next break came when Duran found out through his mortgage lender that a bank account had been opened in his name with the same institution. Since Duran had done no such thing, he knew his alter ego was responsible. At that point, he was able to turn the tables on Morales. Duran called the bank and claimed he had lost his Internet password. Since he was able to provide his Social Security number, birth date and mother's maiden name, the information Morales allegedly stole from him, the company reset the online account's password and Duran had access to Morales' information, including his address and vehicle identification numbers. Sanchez lost no time contacting Sacramento police and, after laying out his case persuaded them to set up surveillance at Morales' apartment. The effort paid off when Morales' came home the evening of July 14 and was greeted by officers. Morales is being held in Sacramento County Jail for investigation of two felony charges of possessing a forged driver's license and unlawful use of personal identifying information. He is also facing an earlier outstanding warrant from Walla Walla County for charges related to fraud and identity theft. For Sanchez, this was a satisfying end to a type of crime that often doesn't have satisfying ends. Identity theft cases can drag on for months or years as suspects surface and then disappear, leaving ruined reputations in their wake. Basic safeguards such as never writing down a personal identification number or giving out your Social Security number can't be overemphasized, he said. Or as Duran noted, "Once you lose it (your identity), it's a freaking nightmare." "Once you lose it (your identity), it's a freaking nightmare." ricardo duran
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