Can my husband and his friend be charged with identity theft?

Full question:

I am in the military and stationed in Texas . When I left Montana in May of 2006 I signed a Durable POA for my husband to take care of any expenses while I was there. He did not want to leave our 'retirement' home in MO. I bought a house in Texas as an 'investment' house. What I did not know was as soon as I left MO my husband used the POA to apply for real estate loans and credit extentions. In Febuary of 2007, He came down here and we signed special POA together stating that he resides in MO and I reside in TX. He told me that he was refinancing the house to pay off bills. What I didn't know at the time was he had a banker lady friend from St. Louis that helped him refince our home then took our paperwork to her friend at a title company and attempted to take my name off the title of the house. </br> I have since filed for divorce after finding out about the abuse of my POA. I have revoked the special POA to him. This woman moved into my house in MO and they tried to file a uncontested divorce with a woman who looked similar to me. I am now very worried about the twnety real estate and credit extenstion inquires on my credit report. I am worried about Identity theft with this woman being a loan offier at a bank. Can she be criminally charged since she helped with this conspiracy? Also what about my husband and this woman who looks similar to him.

• Category: Criminal
• Date: 04/07/2025
• State: National

Answer:

Victims of identity theft face significant challenges in clearing their names and resolving the financial impact. Federal laws, such as the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, make it a crime to knowingly use someone else's identification without permission to commit illegal activities (18 U.S.C. § 1028(a)(7)). This crime can result in severe penalties, including imprisonment and fines.

To protect yourself from identity theft, consider taking the following steps:

1. File a police report with your local law enforcement. Obtain a copy or the report number to provide to creditors.
2. Submit an identity theft complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at or through their website at .
3. Change your passwords and PINs for any accounts you control, avoiding easily guessed information.
4. If fraudulent charges appear on your accounts, dispute them with the respective companies and close any compromised accounts.
5. Contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to check for any misuse of your identification and to inquire about fraud alerts.

If you discover fraudulent accounts opened in your name, notify the credit bureaus and creditors in writing. They are required to investigate and block fraudulent information from your credit report (FCRA § 605B). Users can search for state-specific legal templates at .

Involving a loan officer in a conspiracy to commit identity theft could lead to criminal charges against them, as well as your husband, depending on their actions and involvement.