Anyone dealt with identify theft or delayed birth certs?

[VIDEO: "What is parental alienation?"]

So this is a situation a friend of mine from a church group has had develop.  It's kind of a support group/social group, and we were all chatting at a group meet, and all this came out.  I'm not really trying to solve it for her, but I'm more looking for information and wondering if anyone out there more informed than me about these issues might be available to chime in.

She was married to a guy that bears all the hallmarks of being very disordered now.  BPD/ASPD/NPD, etc.  He's basically escalated to being a true sociopath.

When their kids were born, they never had birth cert's issued.  The kids are now ages 9 through 15.  She says her XH would not let her get the documents.  Instead, they cobbled together a bunch of other records and got passports for the kids.  She says she was under his control, and while it sounds stupid now, she thought she had to go along with it then. 

When she left him, she had to do it in a way that was very rushed and she didn't get a chance to grab her "panic bag", that had her birth cert, her kid's birth cert's, passports, etc.  This was several years ago.  It's a long story to sum up the way their divorce happened, he ended up with full custody, and her with nothing and out on her ass.  It was a case of she'd finally filed for D, she had a restraining order on him, had him arrested for DV, etc.  He came over, begged forgiveness, promised he'd get therapy, etc.  She bought it, dropped everything, and let him move back in.  A month later, out of the blue, he takes her out, surprises her by taking her to a L's office, tells her if she doesn't sign the D paperwork he'll take her somewhere and kill her and then go home and kill the kids.  After years of mental/physical/sexual abuse, she signed it.

Then he expected her to just go back home and pretend to be wifey and not tell anyone and live life like nothing had changed.  The abuse escalated even worse, and she ended up on a street corner one night with the cops, being taken to the hospital, and then staying in a shelter until she found a friend to stay with and started working on getting a job and pulling together a life.

Fast forward a year, his abuse escalated towards the kids, she was able to save up money, hire a lawyer, document the abuse, and get temp orders to get custody of the kids.  He has refused to turn over the passports and all the other documentation on the kids, AND he has refused to turn over her own birth cert., passport, etc.

She pulled her credit, and she's also got all kinds of stuff on there now from him using her SSN for utilities and not paying the bill, credit cards, etc.  So now basically he's committed identity fraud against her.

She needs to get a license in our state, and can't because she doesn't have her documentation.  She was originally born in the Phillipines on a US Air Force Base, where the records they kept were all destroyed when Mt. Pinatubo erupted and wiped out the base.  Her mom doesn't have a copy of it either.  So she can't go back to other places and get copies, they've been destroyed by mother nature. She's got to get her's that he's got.

Her kids don't have SSN's as there are no birth certs.  If she even had their passports, she'd be able to get SSN's and then be able to claim them for tax purposes, etc.  Even enrolling them in school is a major pain in the arse.

Her XH is also now $6000 behind in CS, hasn't made a payment since November.  She has recently taken out a warrant against him for criminal child abandonment, but has no idea where he currently lives.  He's not at his last known address, and runs his own business selling a health/wellness beverage using a business model similar to pampered chef type businesses.  Or in other words, he's got no employer and it's very hard to track him down to serve him.

They're still under temporary orders, she doesn't have final orders for custody/CS/etc.  And as of this morning, she had about $10 in her account, and she's had 2 L's bail on her because she couldn't keep paying them.

So, information I'm looking for:

-How to get delayed birth certificates in FL where the kids where born?  She's tried but not yet been successful.  They were born at home, and they used a woman as a midwife that wasn't certified, so this "midwife" can't certify the birth.  They way she left the home, she didn't get any kind anything she can use for documentation either.  She's tried to get school records from when the kids were in kindergarten, and the schools in FL where she's from are not responsive.

-How to get SSN's for the kids without the normal documentation needed?  Or at least a temporary tax id for them so she can claim them on taxes.

-How does fighting identify theft work?  Is there a way to go swear out warrants against him for it? 

This lady is such a sweet person, and she just kind of broke down, so I figured I'd ask here as there might be people that have some knowledge they could share.  Sorry for the length.

[Waddams]

So this is a situation a friend of mine from a church group has had develop.  It's kind of a support group/social group, and we were all chatting at a group meet, and all this came out.  I'm not really trying to solve it for her, but I'm more looking for information and wondering if anyone out there more informed than me about these issues might be available to chime in.

She was married to a guy that bears all the hallmarks of being very disordered now.  BPD/ASPD/NPD, etc.  He's basically escalated to being a true sociopath.

When their kids were born, they never had birth cert's issued.  The kids are now ages 9 through 15.  She says her XH would not let her get the documents.  Instead, they cobbled together a bunch of other records and got passports for the kids.  She says she was under his control, and while it sounds stupid now, she thought she had to go along with it then. 

When she left him, she had to do it in a way that was very rushed and she didn't get a chance to grab her "panic bag", that had her birth cert, her kid's birth cert's, passports, etc.  This was several years ago.  It's a long story to sum up the way their divorce happened, he ended up with full custody, and her with nothing and out on her ass.  It was a case of she'd finally filed for D, she had a restraining order on him, had him arrested for DV, etc.  He came over, begged forgiveness, promised he'd get therapy, etc.  She bought it, dropped everything, and let him move back in.  A month later, out of the blue, he takes her out, surprises her by taking her to a L's office, tells her if she doesn't sign the D paperwork he'll take her somewhere and kill her and then go home and kill the kids.  After years of mental/physical/sexual abuse, she signed it.

Then he expected her to just go back home and pretend to be wifey and not tell anyone and live life like nothing had changed.  The abuse escalated even worse, and she ended up on a street corner one night with the cops, being taken to the hospital, and then staying in a shelter until she found a friend to stay with and started working on getting a job and pulling together a life.

Fast forward a year, his abuse escalated towards the kids, she was able to save up money, hire a lawyer, document the abuse, and get temp orders to get custody of the kids.  He has refused to turn over the passports and all the other documentation on the kids, AND he has refused to turn over her own birth cert., passport, etc.

She pulled her credit, and she's also got all kinds of stuff on there now from him using her SSN for utilities and not paying the bill, credit cards, etc.  So now basically he's committed identity fraud against her.

She needs to get a license in our state, and can't because she doesn't have her documentation.  She was originally born in the Phillipines on a US Air Force Base, where the records they kept were all destroyed when Mt. Pinatubo erupted and wiped out the base.  Her mom doesn't have a copy of it either.  So she can't go back to other places and get copies, they've been destroyed by mother nature. She's got to get her's that he's got.

Her kids don't have SSN's as there are no birth certs.  If she even had their passports, she'd be able to get SSN's and then be able to claim them for tax purposes, etc.  Even enrolling them in school is a major pain in the arse.

Her XH is also now $6000 behind in CS, hasn't made a payment since November.  She has recently taken out a warrant against him for criminal child abandonment, but has no idea where he currently lives.  He's not at his last known address, and runs his own business selling a health/wellness beverage using a business model similar to pampered chef type businesses.  Or in other words, he's got no employer and it's very hard to track him down to serve him.

They're still under temporary orders, she doesn't have final orders for custody/CS/etc.  And as of this morning, she had about $10 in her account, and she's had 2 L's bail on her because she couldn't keep paying them.

So, information I'm looking for:

-How to get delayed birth certificates in FL where the kids where born?  She's tried but not yet been successful.  They were born at home, and they used a woman as a midwife that wasn't certified, so this "midwife" can't certify the birth.  They way she left the home, she didn't get any kind anything she can use for documentation either.  She's tried to get school records from when the kids were in kindergarten, and the schools in FL where she's from are not responsive.

-How to get SSN's for the kids without the normal documentation needed?  Or at least a temporary tax id for them so she can claim them on taxes.

-How does fighting identify theft work?  Is there a way to go swear out warrants against him for it? 

This lady is such a sweet person, and she just kind of broke down, so I figured I'd ask here as there might be people that have some knowledge they could share.  Sorry for the length.

[catnap]

She was originally born in the Phillipines on a US Air Force Base

www.archives.gov/st-louis/

"Military health and medical records of discharged and deceased veterans, retirees and military family members treated at military service medical facilities."

How does fighting identify theft work?  Is there a way to go swear out warrants against him for it?

www.travel.state.gov/passport/ppi/ppi_5658.html

"The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) website, www.ftc.gov, and the FBI's website, www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html, are good sources for information on identity theft and provide lists of government and private agencies to contact to report complaints. Both sites also provide good information for consumers to minimize their risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. The FTC enters the information into a secure consumer fraud database.

The FBI website recommends victims contact their local law enforcement and request a report be provided to the FBI's identity theft database. This database contains descriptive records and other information that law enforcement personnel can use to determine if an individual is a victim of identity theft, or if the individual might be using a false identity.

If you would like to report the fraudulent use of your identity, call the FTC Identity Theft Hotline:

1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) or visit www.consumer.gov"

She's tried to get school records from when the kids were in kindergarten, and the schools in FL where she's from are not responsive.

www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/parents.html

"Otherwise, both custodial and noncustodial parents have the right to access their children's education records, . . ."

Has she tried doctor/dentist offices where her children received care?                   

[ForeverDad]

Wow, sounds like Criminal Minds scenario. :'(

If she has an SSN, she could seek a replacement, even if her birth certificate is out of reach, there had to be some sort of paperwork when she or her parents filed to get her SSN.  Can that be retrieved?  Catnap listed a good link to try.  There have to be ways to prove who she is/was so she can get new docs.

I guess she needs to file police reports about the identity theft and I guess also contest the validity of those forged accounts with the three major credit bureaus.

She needs to bring copies of her temporary orders with her.  Perhaps the schools and other places are reluctant to get involved because they think the father still has custody?  Generally, though, all parents have access to the children's medical and school records unless specifically limited by court order.

[Waddams]

Wow, sounds like Criminal Minds scenario

Yeah.  The DV counselor at the shelter she worked with to get her TPO against her XH told her, all things considered, it was one of the worst DV cases she'd ever seen.

If she has an SSN, she could seek a replacement, even if her birth certificate is out of reach, there had to be some sort of paperwork when she or her parents filed to get her SSN.  Can that be retrieved?  Catnap listed a good link to try.  There have to be ways to prove who she is/was so she can get new docs.

She's exploring a new SSN at the moment. 

I guess she needs to file police reports about the identity theft and I guess also contest the validity of those forged accounts with the three major credit bureaus.

Yeah, i think she's doing that too.

www.archives.gov/st-louis/

"Military health and medical records of discharged and deceased veterans, retirees and military family members treated at military service medical facilities."

Thanks - I'll pass on the link.

Regarding the school records, yeah it's not that the schools think she doesn't have the right to the records.  The records people are just incompetent and non-responsive.

Her XH used some wholistic, naturalpathic something or other woman for medical care, and said woman has thrown out her records.  She's also a licensed acupuncturist but not licensed properly for medical care, so her records wouldn't be useful.  The records have to be from someone properly licensed.  Now... . if it were me, I'd also be exploring if this lady could be brought up on charges for practicing medicine without a license, but that doesn't get the person we're trying to help in our church group any closer to solving her most urgent issues.

Basically, she's been abused for a long time, is still foggy and is just not really able to think things through for herself.  We're also encouraging her to seek therapy, which she says she's doing.

Just figuring out how to get the birth cert/SSN/tax issues addressed would be a huge step forward.

Anyway, thank you for the thoughts! 

[slimmiller]

Hello,

Sorry to hear about your friend. Sounds like a real mess

A few things that sound a bit odd is the fact that they have a passport without a SSN card... .

I know a number of kids whom have left the Amish and had no birth certificates. Some never had one issued as they were born at home and the Amish dont believe that they need them which is true if one stays with the family their whole life. But when one leaves its usually a mess in getting one especially if one was never issued.

This has gotten much more difficult in establishing an identity since the Sept 11 attacks. We now have more stringent regulations with establishing an identity to help fight terrorists


In my experience the birth certificate is needed for all other documentation to begin ( IDs, passports, etc)

Is it possible that since things are a little fuzzy for her and him having been a PD that he just kept them from her in order to excercise control over her?

I know it can be difficult in getting the documentation but with some persistance its a matter of a paper trail and time

[Waddams]

you can get a passport without a birth cert. using state department form DS-10 to substantiate that you were born here. 

Is it possible that since things are a little fuzzy for her and him having been a PD that he just kept them from her in order to excercise control over her?

that's exactly why he's still holding onto this stuff.  and she can't seem to get him in front of a judge for an order to turn the stuff over.  she's got legal custody of the kids, and she needs this stuff. 

it's a tough situation.