There are two Liam Wards.
One has a criminal record and a history of bad credit, while the other - a young Christchurch man who works with people with mental disabilities and has never had any outstanding debt, seems to be paying the price for it.
"I'm absolutely appalled by it," Christchurch's Liam Ward told Stuff, explaining that the mistaken identity debacle that has lasted five years now is starting to have an effect on his mental health. "I correct one thing and something else comes up. They have this mistake and I am the one having to get it corrected."
The 22-year-old told Stuff the other Liam Ward has caused all sorts of trouble in his life. He initially couldn't get a driver's license because records erroneously indicated he had been disqualified, a wrong credit rating almost caused him to not get an apartment and Corrections ordered him to meet with a probation officer for a crime he didn't commit, he said.
The mix-ups seem to persist because both Liam Wards, although they have different middle names, share a birth date.
Most of the past mistaken identities were eventually corrected, but he alleges he's had his credit rating damaged by Auckland company Credit Simple, which he said hasn't responded since promising to look into the issue one month ago.
Soon Mr Ward will be moving overseas, and he says he fears he'll be apprehended at the airport - the victim, once again, of the man who shares his name.
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