According to an item posted on CNN, cases of mistaken identity in criminal arrests happen a lot more often than you might think.

The specific case highlighted in the article was not related to identity theft; rather, the victim simply had a very similar name to that of a robbery suspect. However, she spent five days in jail before her husband was able to bail her out. It also took two years to get her criminal record expunged.

Mistakes like this are apparently relatively common, due to identity theft and errors. You might not be able to control who has a name just like yours, or who types in a name incorrectly, but you can still take steps to prevent identity theft that could lead to your wrongful arrest. It may not eliminate the possibility, but at least you can try to minimize it.

At the very least, the article shows that getting arrested for something you didn’t do isn’t fun. Stay vigilant.