Aug 14, 2007 -- Victim of ID theft imprisoned on false charge
The calls about ID theft that Clark gets on the show are disturbing. Not only is the crime appalling, but there's a lack of caring shown for the victims. They typically have their credit ruined, lose a job offer or get higher interest rates on a loan. But sometimes the damage reaches a whole new level. Today Clark had a chance to hear from a male college student named Bo who was jailed for four days because someone stole his identity and then stole a car.
This sad story begins when Bo noticed his wallet was either stolen or went missing about four to six weeks ago. He went ahead and cancelled his credit cards, got a new license and did everything else one might do in such a situation. Then about one week later, he was visiting at his father's home. While on the phone around 10 p.m., he saw the police sneaking up on him to arrest him for grand theft auto. From the get go, there were signs that the police had the wrong guy; while the arrest warrant had all of Bo's information correct -- name, height, weight, birth date, etc. -- it listed him as a black male even though he is white. The police arrested him anyway and Bo spent four days in jail. He wasn't allowed to post bail because grand theft auto is a serious felony charge. His parents had to hire a lawyer, who got the courts to look into the details and see that Bo wasn't the right guy. The case has since been dropped, but a record of his arrest remains and still has to be expunged. Worse yet, Bo's life was turned upside down for four days and he hasn't received any apologies from the police or courts. This just goes to show that nobody seems to care about the innocent people harmed through ID theft.