Here’s a slightly different twist on the typical identity theft story… A guy by the name of Jason Smith who lives in Danielsville, GA recently contacted the IRS to find out why his $600 tax refund hadn’t arrived only to learn that they were waiting for him to pay $12k in back taxes.

When Smith requested a copy of his work history, he discovered that the government believed that he was working two jobs — his regular job plus another job at a nearby chicken plant. As it turns out, an illegal immigrant named Nohe Gomez Hernandez had used Smith’s social security number to get a job at the chicken plant, and this apparent second job forced Smith into a higher tax bracket, thereby generating the income tax shortfall.

As an interesting aside, Hernandez’s attorney is arguing that he shouldn’t be prosecuted under Georgia’s identity theft law since he didn’t use the information to pilfer Smith’s bank account or rack up credit cards charges. Rather, he used Smith’s social security numebr solely to secure a job. Not surprisingly, the prosecution disagrees.

[Source: Access North Georgia]