What happens in a private investigation case of mistaken identity? This could be an upcoming name for a mystery novel! On occasion, a private investigator will run into this story-like situation. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary of definitions, mistaken identity is a situation in which someone or something is mistakenly thought to be someone or something else. In this investigation, we were searching for one suspect and found another with personal information that was very close to being identical. This information includes the full name, address, date and place of birth.
In fact, cases of mistaken identity have become more commonplace, especially with the increased use of technology. There have been public cases, such as a credit company mixing up two cardholders or a professor giving a higher grade to one student with a similar name to another, who scored less. Sometimes, a person can have a similar criminal background as well! For example, both may get into a car accident only days before their suspected match. Let’s take a closer look at this case.
Mistaken Assets in Florida
There was an interesting case of mistaken identity across the country in Florida. It’s a good example of how a private investigator catches mistaken identities. A private investigator was assigned a case to find the owner of unclaimed assets. The private investigator believed she found the correct recipient, but something felt off. She couldn’t connect the recipient’s address. The found recipient had no recollection of the unclaimed asset, either. The private investigator ended up befriending the recipient’s family, which made her more suspicious to continue her search. She turned to older, yet proven investigation techniques and scoured through old phone records to ultimately find an identical name match. It was, in fact, the mistaken recipient’s father who was the true rightful owner of the assets. Old isn’t always bad or ineffective.
Two Suspects, One Wrongdoer
RGH Investigations happened to run into a case of mistaken identity as well. It involved an accident investigation in Chicago, where two people got into a car crash. An insurance company hired RGH Investigations to find out what happened during the crash, or accident investigations. The private investigator found that there was a person with the same name and very similar date of birth as the suspect who caused the accident. We tracked him down and went through a surveillance procedure as usual. This suspect had a DUI and was in a car accident in September of 2022. However, it came to our attention later on, that there was another suspect who was also in a car accident. He had the same name as the original suspect. The name was unique, so it was easy to confuse the two people. This suspect lived in the same apartment complex as the original within the last 5 years. His birthday was two days off from the first suspect, but the same month and year. However, he did not have the DUI. The true suspect did not have a DUI. RGH Investigations found their suspect – and it wasn’t the assumed one as we thought in the beginning! The two people were nearly identical in terms of their name, address, and so on, but only the timeframes were different.
Can You Avoid Having Your Identity Mistaken?
So, is it possible to avoid cases of mistaken identity? No, unfortunately, it’s not. But you can take preventative measures to avoid this in potential future cases. For example, social media or other online presence. You can keep your social media profile to reflect your appearance, don’t look ambiguous. Second, have a balanced online presence. Meaning, your digital and physical interactions should complement each other. Simple measures like this can help a private investigator to find the right person.
How Can We Help?
If you, or someone you know is in need of an accident investigation, witness statements, or find yourself in a case of mistaken identity, contact RGH Investigations at 312-768-0376 to get started today. RGH Investigations use high quality, traditional and modern investigation techniques to get to the bottom of every case.
