Baby Identity Theft Victim - www.wlbt.com

A metro area man says he's spent the last six months fighting identity theft. The victim of the crime was his newborn son.

He believes the thief is local, and could strike again if they're not stopped.
Before he could speak his first word, or take his first step, Devin Jones was a victim of identity theft. It all started when his parents filed their income taxes.
Craig Jones says, "When we went to file our taxes they said they already used our social security, name, birth date, and social to file their taxes. ...Took us longer to file our taxes... we did get our money back... that's not the issue. The issue here is that someone was able to get this information that fast, use it and here it is almost July and no one is in jail yet."

Jones says his son's social security number was stolen less than three months after he was born.

It's still unclear how the number was leaked. Jones has done his own investigating.
Jones says, "The IRS knows because they processed both forms, they paid both entities, they have told me I have an impending audit in November. The state tax commission has pulled it up while I was on the phone with them and told me, 'yeah we see who did it but we can't give that info to the prosecutorial body to go get them. It doesn't make sense."

The Social Security Administration in Jackson says protecting your Social Security number is key in preventing identity theft. They say always keep your card and number in a safe place. Don't carry your social security card or anything with the number on it on you, and always call them immediately if you suspect someone is using your number illegally.

Craig Jones says, "Everyone in this state should be concerned about how many numbers have been used - how much money has been squandered."

Obviously it's never a good idea to give your social security number out to anyone, aside from an employer or healthcare provider.

Jones says he will continue to fight to save his son's identity, before any more damage is done.