mistaken identity news stories on Newser

Student Googles Self, Finds He's a Wanted Man

Nick McMaster — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:16:18 CST

One night, Zachary Garcia decided to Google himself—and the Florida teen discovered he was wanted for murder. Garcia, a University of Florida student, saw his name next to his driver's license photo, alongside notice that he had been charged as an accomplice to murder, AOL News reports. The police...

Brad Pitt Roughed Up by Own Guard

Katherine Thompson — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:11:01 CST

Brad Pitt got to see how the other half lives when a bouncer at a promotional event for his latest movie failed to recognize the star and tried to pin him to a wall. The guard pulled Pitt out of a crowd of paparazzi that had infiltrated a secure area...

Innocent Customers Caught in Terrorist Dragnet

Heather McPherson — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:57:37 CDT

Hassans, Muhammeds, and other men with Arabic-sounding names are being turned away when they try to buy cars, homes, and even exercise equipment. Responding to post-9/11 requirements to screen customers against terrorist lists, companies are turning down buyers with even partial name matches rather than risk stiff fines and prison...

Ballooning Terror Database Spawns Errors

Sam Gale Rosen — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:58:29 CDT

The US list of suspected terrorists has ballooned to 435,000 names, and upkeep is so poor that once you're on it, it's virtually impossible to get off. The size alone threatens to overwhelm those responsible for its upkeep, reports Karen DeYoung creating concerns about secrecy, errors and privacy.