Camber Lybbert thought it was a mistake when her bank told her that her daughter's Social Security number, issued by the U.S. government, was on their files for two credit cards and two auto loans, with an outstanding balance of more than $25,000.

Her daughter is 3 years old.

For Lybbert and her husband, Tyson, the call was the beginning of a five- month scramble trying to clear up their daughter's credit history. As it turned out, an illegal immigrant, Jose Tinoco, was using their daughter's stolen Social Security number, not in pursuit of a financial crime, but in order to get a job.

[...]

Like most victims of identity theft, the Lybberts did not lose any money in the long run, but Camber Lybbert estimated that for four or five months she spent 30 hours or more a week making telephone calls, feeling passed from one agency or voice-mail system to another: the Social Security Administration; the Utah attorney general; the three credit bureaus that issue credit ratings; and the police departments in two cities.

[...]

In 2000, using data from the Social Security Administration, the Utah attorney general's office found that the Social Security numbers of 132,000 people in the state were being used by other people, far more than the state could prosecute.

This use caused problems even when the person using the number led a financially responsible life, said Hamp, the assistant attorney general. "I've had families denied public assistance for their children or disability payments because records show somebody is working in their Social Security number," he said.

Scott Smith, of Ogden, Utah, discovered that someone was using the Social Security number of his daughter, Bailey, when he applied for public health insurance for her.

You who Always sides with the folks who are against unions and oppose raising the minimum wage, and who oppose workplace safety and environmental regulations.

Seriously, who do think you're jivin', Rush?