Generally there are clues that help you in such a case. Sunburn appears in stripes, your clothes selection is limited, the standard of food goes suddenly up (or down, if you were fortunate before). People in uniform shouting at you on a more regular basis.
There really isn’t that much difference from being a student.
Well, you wake up in the mornin’,
You hear the work bell ring,
And they march you to the table
To see the same old thing.
Aint no food upon the table,
And no pork up in the pan.
But you better not complain, boy,
You get in trouble with the man.
The only diference being that, in college, you wake up in a strange room next to a woman you’ve never met…
in jail, the experience is slightly different…
A guy I used to work with first discovered there was another guy with his exact same name living in the same suburb that he did when that other guy (a cop whose public hobby was entertaining children as a clown) was arrested for embezzlement (private hobby?).
He wasn’t the first to see it in the papers either.
When we sold our previous house I found out that there were two liens on it against two other people with my name. Criminals, no doubt. But all I had to do is sign an afidavit saying that I wasn’t them. That was close. I was afraid they would find out about my other identity as a person who has the same name as mine.