COLUMBUS, Ohio -- We all know just how devastating identity theft can be, when it happens within a family it can tear it apart.
Assistant City Prosecutor Bill Hedrick says more often than not, it’s family members posing as someone within their own family.
In two separate cases this week, Hedrick pursued falsification charges after two women claimed they were someone else.
At a Wal-Mart on Georgesville Road, a woman allegedly claimed she was her sister after getting caught allegedly shoplifting.
In another case, a roommate claimed she was another person after she was suspected of shoplifting at Easton Town Center.
Police don’t take every shoplifter in for fingerprinting, so if they know the name and birth date of a family member or friend, that charge can go on the innocent person’s record.
In both of these cases, the innocent victim was eventually cleared. Prosecutors say you should protect your personal information as much as you can, even from family members.
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