'A terrible reverse lottery,' says Los Angeles victim of employment identity theft — what do to if it happens to you

When you deliberation of individuality theft, you apt interest astir thieves draining your savings accounts oregon racking up indebtedness connected recognition cards taken retired successful your name. You astir apt don't ideate idiosyncratic trying to get their hands connected your Social Security fig simply to work.

But that's what happened to 46-year-old Los Angeles nonmigratory Dr. Warris Bokhari (1).

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After receiving 2025 taxation forms from a institution helium hadn't worked for, Bokhari was near with a fiscal and administrative headache.

It's similar "a unspeakable reverse lottery," helium told CNBC (2), "Your individuality tin beryllium utilized by idiosyncratic other for their gains, and you're near with bills and debts that you effort to undo."

Employment individuality theft takes spot erstwhile idiosyncratic steals your idiosyncratic information, including your Social Security number, successful bid to get a occupation and gain income. It could beryllium idiosyncratic who cannot different legally enactment oregon a occupation seeker that has occupation getting done leader inheritance checks (3). Either way, erstwhile their income is reported to the IRS, victims, similar Bokhari, extremity up getting the taxation bill.

As Bokhari told CNBC, successful February, helium received a Form 1099-K from Uber Technologies listing astir $2,300 successful gross income for enactment successful November and December of 2025. The occupation is, Bokhari, the cofounder and CEO of wellness attraction exertion steadfast Claimable, says he'd ne'er driven for the ride-sharing service.

After weeks of trying to get answers, Uber enactment informed him they'd "found signs of individuality theft," according to a connection reviewed by CNBC (4).

In a connection straight to the quality outlet, the institution said, "We're alert that immoderate radical person reported receiving 1099s contempt not driving oregon earning income with Uber, which whitethorn bespeak their idiosyncratic accusation was utilized fraudulently," adding that a webpage has been acceptable up specifically for "1099 transportation error" inquiries (5).

Bokhani is by nary means unsocial successful his find of "phantom income," arsenic helium enactment it to CNBC.

Employment oregon wage-related fraud is connected the emergence successful the U.S. According to individuality theft tracking by the Federal Trade Commission, 35,937 cases were reported successful 2025, a 49.6% summation since 2021, erstwhile a full of 24,009 cases were reported (6).