Identity Theft Attorney in San Jose

California Lawyer for False Personation Charges

If you pose as someone else in order to gain certain benefits or to harm the person you are pretending to be, you may be in violation of California's identity theft law. Being accused of a crime, especially if you have never been accused of a crime before, can be overwhelming. You may not fully understand the crime you have been accused of, let alone where to start in forming a defense against the charges.

The Fuller Law Firm believes that criminal suspects deserve to have an aggressive and competent defense. We work with clients to understand their side of the story and formulate a sound plan of action for fighting criminal charges.

Understanding Identity Theft in Santa Clara County

In California, the crime of identity theft most often occurs when someone obtains another person's financial or personal information for the purpose of making purchases or financial transactions in their name. There are many ways in which identity theft can happen. Sometimes, an identity thief looks through an individual's trash in order to procure sensitive documents like bank account statements or credit card information. Other times, identity theft happens through a more high-tech scheme. Perpetrators may gain access to company databases and steal customers' personal information. Because identity theft can completely devastate the victim's credit score and financial standing, the crime is taken very seriously by California courts.

Legal Professionals Helping Clients Accused of Assuming Someone Else's Identity

There are many types of identity theft including criminal identity theft, medical identity theft, financial identity theft, and more. Criminal identity theft occurs when a person accused of a crime purposely misrepresents himself or herself as another person at the time of the arrest. The criminal suspect may do this in an attempt to avoid a summons or to prevent officers from realizing that there is a warrant issued in his or her real name. Medical identity theft happens when someone pretends to be another person in order to get medical care at the victim's expense. The most common form of identity theft, however, is financial identity theft. This occurs when someone uses another person's identity to obtain financial benefits of some kind.

Forging or Counterfeiting a Driver's License Is a Criminal Offense

Possessing a fake driver's license, making a counterfeit license, or altering a government-issued ID card are all violations of California's fraud laws. If someone takes a different name on a fraudulent or stolen ID card, they could be charged with identity theft. Other examples of identity theft can include but are not limited to:

• Fraudulently applying for loans with another person's information;
• Using someone's personal information to make withdrawals from their bank account;
• Pretending to be someone else using an online social network in order to gain some type of economic advantage;
• Using another person's name to gain welfare benefits;
• Signing someone else's name to a check for the purposes of cashing it;
• Using another person's social security number in order to steal their identity; and
• Credit card fraud or using another person's credit or debit card to make a purchase without the other cardholder's permission.

Schedule a Consultation to Discuss Your Identity Theft Charges

If you were arrested on suspicion of identity theft, you are facing significant punitive consequences. Contact our office to speak with Attorney Cory Fuller about how to defend against identify theft charges or allegations of fraud. Call 408-234-7563 and schedule a free consultation today. Our firm serves clients in San Jose, Palo Alto, Gilroy, Fremont, Alameda County, Santa Clara County, and the surrounding areas.