Identity theft problem

[Dave A]

Paramedic Joseph Sithole is fighting to get his life back after falling victim to identity theft - a crime phenomenon that has exploded in South Africa.

Sithole was shocked when he received a tax bill for a construction job he knew nothing about and subsequently discovered that his identity had been taken over and used to secure employment, bank accounts and credit for a Mozambican national.

And the 27-year-old is only one of thousands of South Africans who have experienced a similar fate.
full story from IOL here

[duncan drennan]

A friend of mine was robbed of about R30k due to a number of people simultaneously using fraudulent identity documents to draw cash amounts out of his bank account. It was a big mess with accounts being frozen, etc. etc.

The bank refunded him all the money, but what was interesting to find out is that we have one of the easiest ID docs to copy. If this is a known fact (is it?) then why are measures not taken to curb the methods of this common problem?

[Dave A]

I seem to recall that you don't need to go to all the trouble of copying - there were more than enough blank originals floating around. Or is my memory playing tricks on me?

[duncan drennan]

I seem to recall that you don't need to go to all the trouble of copying - there were more than enough blank originals floating around. Or is my memory playing tricks on me?

Yes.....I think you are quite right. Maybe instead of buying a new printing machine for home affairs (see Mr Manuel's budget speech), they should just rent one from the criminals.....or is it possibly that the current printing machines are all being rented out to the criminals??

[VeronicaMVV]

Identity Theft Ruining Our Lives

I am posting this on behalf of my husband and would appreciate if anyone could assist with our problem.
Two years ago my husband got his 1st learners licence at the ******* testing station on that specific day a gentleman asked him for his ID to do a check under the impression that this man works there my husband gave it to him in a rush to get done and after he recieved his learners he realised that the man that had his ID is gone. So he went to the department of home affairs and got a new ID, booked for his licence and when it came time to pay for the booking at the ******* testing station they refused to book him as they said he already has a licence since 2003.

They printed his licence details from the eNATIS system that showed he got 2x learners licences 1x bike licence 1x temp drivers licence and 1x licence card issued 2003 (Also know that my husband got a restriction on his licence from a court in Nelspruit that he may only alppy for a licence in 2005)

SO WHAT TO DO NOW?

He cannot get his licence leagaly and do not want to get it illegaly the job he has requires for him to have a licence.

When they said he has already got a licence he went to the police station and lawyers got advidavids ect. to prove that he had never had a licence accept for the learners that was issued in 2006

Then with no choise he asked them to just give him the licence and obviously they refused. We do not know which way to go he cannot afford being without a licence for 1 day

Please if you can assist or know of anyone that can assist reply to my email

Thank you
veronica@dione.co.za

[Debbiedle]

Veronica I really feel for you but unfortunately I have no useful advice.

[Dave A]

It's both shocking and scary. What gets me is the apparent lack of assistance from the government departments on something like this. After all, it's their systems that are being compromised. You'd think they would be really going all out to get to the situation resolved.

There should be photos on record for starters. Although, when it comes to driver licences, I wonder how closely they check that the person getting the card matches the photo.

Veronica, just how helpful and sympathetic have the government departments been in helping with this?

[SilverNodashi]

A friend of mine was robbed of about R30k due to a number of people simultaneously using fraudulent identity documents to draw cash amounts out of his bank account. It was a big mess with accounts being frozen, etc. etc.


The bank refunded him all the money, but what was interesting to find out is that we have one of the easiest ID docs to copy. If this is a known fact (is it?) then why are measures not taken to curb the methods of this common problem?

Wasn't this what the ID-type drivers license was supposed todo, which then got rejected by the banks as an invalid form of identification?

[VeronicaMVV]

The day they said he already had a licence he went to the police station and got at least three advidavids which they sent to the head office in Pretoria He took 4 days off from work whith no pay and when head office oofice replied they said there is nothing they can do to change it they cannot just remove the licence. from the eNATIS system it showed that the photo & the ID number match but the fingerprints don't what we suspect is that someone working in the ******* testing station took his details and just changed the fingerprints what they are acctualy telling him is that his own fingerprint is a fake and that they cannot help him

We are realy suffering because of this and it is a nightmare

[Dave A]

I guess my mind is just not devious enough to think why someone would want a drivers licence in somebody else's name and with somebody else's photo on it.

But the long and the short of it - It is the licencing authorities that are the problem here, not Department of Home Affairs, then. Is that right?

[VeronicaMVV]

Yes the Department of Home Affairs said to my husband that they and the licencing department do not have anything to do with each other so there he could not change the licence he had to deal directly with the licence department who just straight out said they cannot do anything for him. So my question is is he now just supposed to leave it and let someone else drive with his licence. The day that person gets into a accident and kills someone it will be my husband that will get sent to jail

Obviously the person working in the licence department sold my husbands licence to someone else that is why they don't note that the photo does not match he gets his money and lives happily ever after and the guy with the licence just puts his own photo in the card and sends my husbands photo off to head office so that it all looks the same but the one thing they could not fake was the fingerprint so they used his fingerprint and with the department of homeaffairs not linked to the licencing department head office could not or would not see that the fingerprints don't mach

[VeronicaMVV]

So what I think is that if you get your first licence the licencing head office do not have your fingerprints so they cannot realy match anything they are totaly dependant on the licencing centres to provide them with the right information

[SilverNodashi]

Dave, AFAIK, yes. But how do you convince the cop who pulls you over that you're physically unable to get as license due to fraud, and if you don't go to work, you'll put your whole family on the streets and have to beg for food?

[SilverNodashi]

So what I think is that if you get your first licence the licencing head office do not have your fingerprints so they cannot realy match anything they are totaly dependant on the licencing centres to provide them with the right information

Yes, and no. AFAIK your finger prints get recored when you get your first ID book / passport, which you need to get a drivers license. So they do have your finger prints, and in fact your photo as well. I don't see why it could be so difficult to match these up?

[VeronicaMVV]

Yes, and no. AFAIK your finger prints get recored when you get your first ID book / passport, which you need to get a drivers license. So they do have your finger prints, and in fact your photo as well. I don't see why it could be so difficult to match these up?

That just shows that there is deffinatly someone somewhere or a group of poeple that are corrupt

Because someone must have known what was going on
Another thing is how could he get his booking and have passed for a Code 8 learners licence in 2006 if according to them he had a licence since 2003, something must have happend the day the guy in the licence centre took my husbands ID book
This is a realy complicated story and I just wich that someone could remove all the details he has on his name so he can get tested and pass leagaly. We have fighted in all derections demanded explinations took time off from work were even willing to go to the head office anything ANYTHING to get this sorted out but the only thing they kept saying was "sorry there is nothing we can do for you."