PHOENIX -- Increasing numbers of Valley children are becoming victims of identity theft and families often don't find out until it's too late, police say.

In one instance, Vagillian Walters, 19, a student at the University of Arizona, had her Social Security number stolen by the time she was 6 years old.

"It's shown that I've been working since I was 6 years old, which is not the case," Walters said.

Walters said she's found getting a job is tough.

"People would show up using my number and name, and I'm being questioned," she said. "But in reality, it's my number. I'm the real Vagillian Walters."

Detectives said more than a dozen names are attached to Walters' Social Security number. One woman, Martina Gutierrez, appears to have used it for years, police said.

"It was actually a bold move, to continue a lifestyle using someone else's Social Security number without worry about ever being stopped," said Detective Steve Woytus of the Phoenix Police Department.

Investigators said they followed the paper trail and found Gutierrez opened checking accounts, credit cards, purchased two trucks and a car, and bought a house in Phoenix, then sold it and upgraded to another house in El Mirage.

"I was pretty upset," Walters said. "I wanted to know, 'Why my name? Why can't they go get their own?'"

Detectives said they are still looking for Gutierrez. They said they don't know yet how Walters' Social Security number was stolen.