‘Living Nightmare’; Man mistaken for someone with criminal record

Click here for updates on this story

    DENVER, CO (KDVR) — A hard working father of five describes a “living nightmare” after being mistaken for a man with a criminal record on the other side of the country.

Raul Luna said he was shocked to be turned down for a job as a corporate trainer because his background check failed due to a felony.

“I literally was in tears at that time because I had five kids that I was supporting,” he said.

Luna says he was also questioned by police after a traffic stop for the same reason.

It wasn’t until investigators ran his fingerprints that Luna was able to prove he was not a convicted felon. Somehow, he was being confused with a man in Pennsylvania with the same name, birth year and birth month.

Luna also had trouble renewing his driver’s license. The Problem Solvers contacted the state Department of Motor Vehicles, which advises anyone with a case of mistaken identity or identity theft to contact both states’ motor vehicles divisions immediately.

“They should be able to show that it is not them and then that state will issue what’s called a no match letter,” said DMV Communications Manager Julie Brooks.

Luna cleared up his identity issue by providing a notorized letter to the Pennslyvania DMV explaining the situation, a copy of his birth certificate, social security card and two documents proving he is a Colorado resident.

Luna later received a notification saying, “Upon review it was determined that the hold in Pennsylvania is for a different driver. You should have no problem renewing your driver’s license at this time.”

Luna was also able to correct the mistake with the background check service commonly used by employers.

“The vendor said he’s cleared and I got my job” he said.

Now that Luna has this weight lifted from his shoulders, he wants others to know the importance of maintaining records and promptly reporting any circumstances of mistaken identity. He is happy to enjoy his life as a father without worry.

“It feels good” he said.

Security experts say is important to keep copies of vital documents that have not been laminated in order to use them as proof of identity.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.