Word for identity theft

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1
identity theft

ID theft

,

юр.

кража личности, кража идентификационной [личной] информации

*

See:

Англо-русский экономический словарь > identity theft

2
identity theft

сущ.

«кража личности» phishing

Twenty-seven million cases of identity theft have been reported in the last five years. — За последние пять лет полиция зарегистрировала 27 миллионов преступлений, связанных с «кражей личности».

Англо-русский современный словарь > identity theft

3
identity theft

хищение личных (конфиденциальных) данных [о человеке], «кража личности»

Англо-русский толковый словарь терминов и сокращений по ВТ, Интернету и программированию. > identity theft

4
identity theft

Универсальный англо-русский словарь > identity theft

5
identity theft insurance

ID theft insurance

,

страх.

страхование от кражи личности [кражи идентификационной информации]

*

See:

Англо-русский экономический словарь > identity theft insurance

6
identity theft dispute

Универсальный англо-русский словарь > identity theft dispute

7
Program for Identity Theft Detection, Prevention and Mitigation

Универсальный англо-русский словарь > Program for Identity Theft Detection, Prevention and Mitigation

8
carry out the identity theft

Универсальный англо-русский словарь > carry out the identity theft

9
identity fraud

Англо-русский современный словарь > identity fraud

10
identity

I

1) тождество, тождественность

2) идентичность, подлинность

3) личность (пользователя); идентификационная информация пользователя

4) индивидуальность; особенность, отличительная черта

6) именование, обозначение

7) тип (устройства, оборудования)

II

Англо-русский толковый словарь терминов и сокращений по ВТ, Интернету и программированию. > identity

11
theft insurance

страх.

страхование от кражи

Syn:

See:

Англо-русский экономический словарь > theft insurance

12
identity fraud

ID fraud

,

юр.

мошенничество с идентификацией (личности) [с личной информацией]

*

See:

Англо-русский экономический словарь > identity fraud

13
ID theft

Англо-русский экономический словарь > ID theft

14
ID theft

Англо-русский современный словарь > ID theft

15
after-theft diagnosis

Англо-русский толковый словарь терминов и сокращений по ВТ, Интернету и программированию. > after-theft diagnosis

16
credit card insurance

,

страх.

страхование кредитных карт

а)

See:

б)

See:

Англо-русский экономический словарь > credit card insurance

17
computer crime

Англо-русский толковый словарь терминов и сокращений по ВТ, Интернету и программированию. > computer crime

18
phishing

Англо-русский современный словарь > phishing

19
system

— computationally secure system

— abuse-free system

— algebraic code system

— analog system

— asymmetric system

— asymmetric key system

— authentication/secrecy system

— binary system

— block system

— broadcast system

— broadcasting system

— cipher-feedback system

— classical system

— common-key system

— communication system

— compromised system

— computationally secure system

— conference system

— conventional system

— DES-based system

— DES-like system

— deterministic system

— DH system

— Diffie and Hellman system

— discrete-exponentiation system

— discrete log system

— E3 system

— effectively unbreakable system

— elliptic curve system

— endomorphic system

— end-to-end encryption system

— error propagating system

— factorization system

— finite system

— finite automation system

— Galois field system

— general system

— generalized system

— Goppa-code system

— hardware-implemented system

— hidden key system

— high-grade system

— high-speed system

— hybrid public-secret key system

— hybrid stream/block system

— identity-based system

— system immune to cryptoanalysis

— indecipherable system

— intractable system

— iterated system

— key escrow system

— keyed system

— key escrow system

— key-minimal system

— knapsack-based system

— knapsack public key system

— matrix system

— McEliece’ system

— Merkle-Hellman system

— MH system

— microprocessor based system

— minuend system

— multiple access system

— multiple destination system

— multiplicative knapsack system

— network system

— non-linear system

— number theoretic system

— one-key system

— one-master-key system

— one-time-key system

— one-time-pad system

— one-time-tape system

— perfect secrecy system

— practical security system

— private key system

— proprietary system

— public key system

— public key distribution system

— public key signature system

— rapid system

— reciprocal number system

— residue system

— Rivest-Shamir-Adleman system

— rotor system

— RSA public key system

— r-th residue system

— secret-key system

— secure system

— shared key system

— shift register system

— single-key system

— sophisticated system

— split key system

— strong system

— subtractive system

— symmetric system

— theoretically unbreakable system

— threshold system

— transposition system

— trap-door-knapsack public key system

— transient key system

— threshold system

— two-key system

— unbreakable system

— voice system

Англо-русский словарь по компьютерной безопасности > system

См. также в других словарях:

• Identity theft — is a form of stealing another person s identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person s identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person s name. The victim of… …   Wikipedia

• identity theft — ➔ theft * * * identity theft UK US noun [U] ► LAW the illegal use of another person s personal details, for example in order to steal money from their bank account: »The new law tries to protect consumers against identity theft and credit card… …   Financial and business terms

• identity theft — see theft Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

• identity theft — n. the unauthorized use of private information concerning some person, as his or her Social Security or PIN number, to engage in fraudulent activities under that person s name …   English World dictionary

• identity theft — noun the co option of another person s personal information (e.g., name, Social Security number, credit card number, passport) without that person s knowledge and the fraudulent use of such knowledge • Hypernyms: ↑fraud * * * noun [noncount] :… …   Useful english dictionary

• Identity Theft — The crime of obtaining the personal or financial information of another person for the sole purpose of assuming that person s name or identity in order to make transactions or purchases. Identity theft is committed many different ways. Some… …   Investment dictionary

• identity theft — n. The theft of a person s financial information with the intention of using that data to commit fraud. Example Citation: As Americans engage in an increasing number of financial transactions, identity theft continues to increase. Trans Union,… …   New words

• identity theft — UK / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms identity theft : singular identity theft plural identity thefts stealing information about someone that makes it possible to use their bank account or credit card …   English dictionary

• identity theft — N UNCOUNT Identity theft is the crime of getting personal information about another person without their knowledge, for example in order to gain access to their bank account. Protecting yourself from identity theft is a matter of treating all… …   English dictionary

• identity theft — noun Identity theft is used before these nouns: ↑victim …   Collocations dictionary

• identity theft —    The crime of using another person s personal information (name, credit card number, etc.) without his/her knowledge, to set up and use bank accounts and credit facilities is known as identity theft …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

The ID Theft Glossary: Things You Must know About Identity Theft

Knowledge puts you on the offense against identity theft. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, it can take you over 300 hours to recover from identity theft without ID theft protection.

The more you know, the better off you are to protect yourself from identity theft. We created this list of important terms for you, so you don’t have to spend hours of your own time in research.

**********************************

Identity Theft. Coined in 1964, is a shorthand way of referring to the growing number of ways the bad guys can make you a victim.

What they want is access to your:

• Assets including bank accounts and investments
• Credit rating to get a loan or buy a house
• Credit cards for purchases
• Medical insurance for treatment or controlled substances
• Personal identification for passports, driver’s license, and an alias when arrested.

*****************************************

Important identity theft terms to know:

Account Takeover: Armed with all the necessary information, the thief gains control of your financial accounts, ranging from banking to investment.

Affidavit of Factual Innocence: An Affidavit of Factual Innocence is a document issued by a court to certify the factual innocence of an individual. If criminals are using your identity, you could be arrested. To validate that you didn’t commit the criminal act, you need this legal document from the court.

Affidavit of Forgery: An affidavit of forgery is a legal document that’s completed by a person who has been a victim of identity fraud.

Anti-Virus: This is software which can be purchased and downloaded to prevent “malware” from entering the computer. Malware is malicious software in the form of trojans, worms, spyware, and viruses. Most anti-virus software packages update themselves automatically.

Backdoor: A backdoor in computing, refers to a hidden method of authentication to gain access to a computer or network.

Bankruptcy: Identity theft victims are legally entitled to bankruptcy protection but this option should be avoided because the financial damage done to your credit by identity theft can be removed after providing proof to credit reporting agencies.

Black Hat Hacker: A black hat hacker is a computer expert who finds vulnerabilities in internet security and exploits them for their own malicious gain.

Bot: Short for robot, a “bot” is a script or application that completes repetitive actions on command. Can be used to gain control of computers.

Brute-Force Attacks: Brute-force attacks are methods used by criminals to determine a password or PIN in order to break into a computer or network.

Carding: Carding is the act of taking the credit card information from an unsuspecting victim and using it to either make unauthorized purchases, or to sell to other criminals who are more than willing to pay for the credit card.

Catfishing: Catfiishing is when a person creates a fake identity online to con you into an online relationship, with the goal to steal your identity.

Check Kiting: Check kiting is a popular form of fraud that allows a person to take advantage of non-existent money in a bank account by using bad or “hot” checks as a form of unauthorized credit.

Check Washing: Check washing is another method identity thieves use to steal from you. They dip your check in acetone, which washes the ink off so they can write it for a higher amount.

Child Identity Theft: Children are prime targets for identity theft because they don’t have credit histories nor credit reports. Identity thieves know this and take advantage of a child’s clean slate to manipulate and mold their account for many years. Minors are attractive targets because these types of thefts typically go unnoticed for years until it’s too late and the thief is already long gone.

Cloud Security: Cloud Security is a term that refers to policies, controls, and other technology used to protect data & details involved in cloud computing.

Computer Worm: Computer worms use computer networks to spread themselves, relying on security failures of the target computer to access and cause damage.

Computer Zombie: A computer zombie is a computer that a hacker has accessed and set up to transmit malicious software to other computers on the Internet.

Credit Freeze: A safe way to protect from identity theft is to place a credit freeze on your report with all the credit bureaus. The credit freeze causes the person’s data to be “frozen” at the credit bureau until they give consent for their information to be released to the agency who is pulling their credit. By having a credit freeze in place, an identity thief cannot open a new account in your name. The downside of a credit freeze is that it makes it difficult for you to apply for a loan because it can take a few days for the freeze to be lifted from your credit profile.

Credit Reporting Agencies: The three credit bureau agencies– Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion – track your financial transactions. Based on your payment history, amount of debt and other factors, they rate your “credit-worthiness.” That is, if you are a good bet to lend money to. Identity thieves with no credit rating or a negative one will want to “steal” yours if your score is high.

Criminal Identity Theft: Criminal identity theft is when a stolen identity is being fraudulently used to commit crimes in the name of the victim. This type of identity theft is typically caused by individuals with a criminal record or someone who is not willing to leave a trace. Clearing this up may take months.

Cross Site Scripting: Cross site scripting refers to an attack that allows a hacker to carry out dangerous scripts on a legitimate website or application.

Cyber Attack: Cyber attacks are carried out through the Internet in order to spread dangerous programs, steal personal information, or harm the public.

Cyber Crime: This is an umbrella term for the growing number of ways thieves gain access to both your information and accounts via digital technology.

Dark Web: The dark web is the underground of the internet where identity thieves conduct illegal business knowing they can’t be tracked by authorities.

Data Breach: A data breach is when protected or confidential information has been viewed or stolen by an identity thief. Data breaches can include: personal financial information, personal health information, trade secrets, or intellectual property.

Data Encryption: Data encryption is a method of altering electronic information into a form only authorized users can read or understand.

DDos Attack: A DDoS attack uses multiple computers to flood the server with traffic. Real users are often blocked from using the site and its services.

Debt Tagging: Debt tagging is when a person is being held responsible for another person’s debt. Identity theft victims are caught in this scheme.

Drive-By Download: A drive-by download is when your computer is infected by a malicious program simply because it visited a website and not by clicking a link.

Dumpster Diving: Retrieving documents, ranging from bank statements to credit card bills from the trash has become a standard practice for identity thieves. That’s why you must shred these documents.  In addition, you shouldn’t discard used technical equipment or devices without having them wiped clean of any information. These include personal computers, mobile phones, and gadgets.

Electronic Pickpocketing: Electronic pickpocketing is a type of identity theft where criminals wirelessly “skim” RFID enabled cards to steal embedded information.

Email Bomb: An email bomb is when someone floods a particular email inbox or email server with messages – enough to possibly overload the system and cause it to stop working properly.

Fake Job Ads: Fake job ads are traps set by identity thieves. An identity thief may send you a congratulatory email saying you have been hired. Then they request verification documents like SSN card and photo ID, and even trick you into filling out what seems to be a direct deposit form which gives away your bank account and routing numbers.

Federal Trade Commission: The Federal Trade Commission collects complaints about identity theft & also prevents fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices.

Financial Identity Theft: The objective is direct financial gain. That can take the form of credit card purchases, obtaining loans, and withdrawing money for banking and investment accounts.

Firewall: A barrier designed to help protect your personal, private information from being stolen by criminals. It’s a common weapon in the fight against identity theft.

Fraud Alert: If someone has tried to get funds in your name, a red flag is put on your credit reports at the three Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs). This alerts funding agencies to investigate all requests.

Ghost Terminal: A ghost terminal is an electronic device tailored to copy a credit card’s magnetic strip and PIN in order to steal money from an account.

Grey Hat Hacker: Grey hat hackers are skilled computer technicians who may violate laws or typical ethical standards, but have no malicious intent.

Hacker: A hacker is anyone that uses a computer to break into operating systems to steal or damage existing information.

Hidden Dialer: Hidden dialers are programs that secretly use your computer to dial telephone lines that can lead to you receiving an unexpected phone bill.

Honeypot: A honeypot is a decoy, or trap for would-be hackers looking to steal your identity or, on a larger scale, your computer or network data.

Identity Cloning: Identity Cloning is a way for identity thieves to impersonate someone else to hide their own identity. The thief basically takes over your life by living and working as you.

Identity Theft: Identity theft is a an act in which a thief obtains key pieces of personal information, such as a driver’s license number, date of birth,  or social security number, in order to impersonate someone else. The information is then used to obtain credit, buy merchandise, and use services in the name of the victim, or to provide the thief with fake credentials.

Identity Theft Monitoring: Identity theft monitoring is when a company keeps an eye on your identity and will notify you of those who are trying to steal it. This could prevent years of credit issues or the loss of your money.

Identity Theft Report: An identity theft report allows a victim of a crime to have the theft logged down either in written or printed form, allowing the crime to be investigated by local, state or even federal authorities.

Jailbreaking: Jailbreaking is the removal of restrictions that are set on various devices, such as those on an electronic tablet or smartphone.

Keylogger: A keylogger is when keystrokes you make on your computer are tracked and logged without your authorization or knowledge that it’s happening.

Koobface: Koobface is a virus used to target Windows, Mac and Linux operating platforms intended to infect your computer with malware.

Link Masking: Link masking involves taking a lengthy website address and making it shorter to conceal or cover up the real identity of the website address.

Logic Bomb: A logic bomb executes a cyber attack like erasing files or an entire hard drive at a specific time when triggered by a specific event.

Macro Virus: A macro virus is a malicious program that can be embedded into a software application such as a word document or spreadsheet application.

Mail Fraud: Mail fraud is a method identity thieves use to obtain your personal information by stealing your mail. This can include pre-approved credit card applications or any other information that will help them get credit in your name.

Malvertising: Malvertising is the use of online advertisements to help spread dangerous malware. It’s derived  from malicious advertising.

Malware: A term for malicious software. Examples are, viruses, Trojan horses, spyware, and worms.

Medical Identity Theft: This is the fraudulent use of your medical insurance to pay for treatment or drugs such as controlled substances. Since that becomes part of your medical record, there are negative implications for your own treatment and future insurability. Also, you could be a “sitting duck” for investigation by law enforcement about the use or sale of controlled substances.

Money Mule: Money mules are recruited by criminals to use stolen credit card information and usually unaware that what they’re doing is part of a crime.

Opt-Out: When you decide to opt-out, you let your financial institution, insurance company, CRA, or any other company that sells your personal information know that you don’t want your information shared. This is your right, and it protects you from unwanted junk mail and phone calls, not to mention identity theft.

Pharming: Pharming is a fraudulent method identity thieves use to redirect a user to a bogus website in order to get personal information.

Phishing: The activity of tricking an online account holder of financial information by posing as a legitimate company. They are typically fraudulent email messages appearing to come from your university, your Internet service provider, or your bank.

Proxy Server: Proxy servers are computer applications or computer systems that act as an intermediary for requests made between devices and the Internet.

Ransomware: Ransomware is a malicious program that causes your computer or server to be sabotaged and held at ransom until money is paid to release it.

Red Flags Rule: Regulations that were included in the Fair Credit Reporting Act requiring financial institutions to identify red flags signaling possible ID theft or fraud.

Rootkits: Rootkits allow viruses or malware to pose as necessary files in order to trick your anti-virus software into thinking it’s a required file.

Sandbox: A sandbox is used to run untrusted, untested code or programs without risking your own operating system or computer while determining whether the code or program contains something malicious.

Scareware: Scareware is a dangerous computer program that scares a user into paying for a useless product or downloading a program such as malware.

Script Kiddie: Script kiddie is someone who’s not skilled enough to design their own computer attacks, but instead relies on programs created by others.

SEO Poisoning: SEO poisoning is the use of search engine optimization to make a dangerous site appear legitimate & prominent in results of an online search.

Shoulder Surfing: Shoulder surfing is the name given to the procedure that identity thieves use to find out your PIN. They either hang around close to the ATM, or wherever you may be entering your PIN. Once they have your PIN, you’re in trouble.

Skimming: Skimming is a method identity thieves use to get your personal information. It’s usually done by an employee of a restaurant, gas station, or any other place where you swipe your card. They have little swiping tools of their own, which they use to quickly swipe your card. A good way to prevent skimming is always swipe your own card.

Smurf Attack: A smurf attack is a type of denial of service (DDoS) attack that causes computer networks to become inoperable by targeting vulnerabilities.

Sniffing: Sniffing in computer terms refers to the act of spying on network traffic between a computer and a website or between two computers.

Social Networks: Those range from Facebook to Twitter. The bad guys surf them to collect photos and data in order to construct identities for themselves. Young people are especially vulnerable since they tend to be trusting on those networks.

Spoofing: Spoofing occurs when someone with malicious intent fools or impersonates a particular device or user on a computer network to steal data.

Spyware: Software that is installed in a computer without the user’s knowledge and collects and transmits information about the user’s computer activities. This can include the ability to collect login and password information.

SSL & TLS Encryption: SSL and TLS Encryption were created to keep your information protected from unwanted eyes while transferring personal information on the web.

Synthetic Identity Theft: With synthetic identity theft, criminals create a new identity by piecing together real and fake information from various sources.

Tabnabbing: Tabnabbing is a specific type of attack where a fake, malicious website will replace a legitimate website already open on a web browser.

Trojan Horse: A Trojan horse is a type of malware that’s disguised as legitimate software. They’re used by hackers to gain access to a user’s computer. Once activated, they can allow the cyber thief to spy on you, steal your data, and gain access to your system.

Tunneling: Tunneling is a process of sending data – typically private communications – from one network to another through a public network.

Two-Factor Authentication: Two-factor authentication is an added layer of protection that requires a password along with a second method of verifying your identity.

Typosquatting: When cyber-criminals target people that type a web address incorrectly and send the them to an alternate website that may or may not mirror the original website searched for.

Vishing: Vishing is a combination of “voice” and “phishing,” an online scam aimed at getting users to hand over their private, sensitive information.

Wardriving: Wardriving is when hackers seek out unsecured Wi-Fi networks to capture private data, in order to steal and use for criminal activity.

Whaling: Whaling is a type of phishing scam that targets high-profile victims such as a CEO, CFO or other executive, typically in a private company.

White Hat Hacker: A white hat hacker is someone who follows the law and the unwritten code of ethics that exists in the computer world.

Identity theft is the act of stealing another person’s personal identifying information in order to gain access to his financial resources, or obtain access to other benefits, such as money, credit, or insurance benefits. Identity theft, sometimes referred to as “identity fraud,” is a crime that carries serious consequences. To explore this concept, consider the following identity theft definition.

Definition of Identity Theft

Noun The act of fraudulently obtaining and using another person’s identifying information or personal financial documents, such as a credit card or bank account, usually for the purpose of financial gain.
Origin 1995-2000 English

What is Identity Theft

With certain identifying information, dishonest individuals can assume the identity of another person, to act in his or her name to obtain financial gain. Information that might enable someone to obtain credit, make purchases, and even empty bank accounts includes the victim’s name and address, email address, social security number, date of birth, drivers license number, and other information.

Once a victim’s identity has been assumed, the perpetrator uses the information to access the victim’s financial assets or other resources. Most frequently, the victim does not realize that the crime has occurred, or that his information has been stolen, until he begins to see strange charges on his credit cards, or applies for some type of loan, and is unexpectedly denied. This is why it is important for each person to have an identity theft protection plan.

Identity Theft Laws

Each state has laws that define and punish the crime of identity theft. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice aggressively prosecutes identity theft cases under federal laws. Congress enacted the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act in 1998 in response to the significant and continuing rise in incidence of identity theft. The Act makes it illegal to possess or knowingly transfer or use another person’s personal identifying information without specific lawful authority by that person. It is also illegal for a person to possess another person’s personal identifying documents with the intent to commit fraud.

Identity theft laws are very strict, providing severe punishments for individuals convicted of the crime. Penalties for identity theft may include a fine, forfeiture of any assets or property obtained as a result of the act, and imprisonment for up to 15 years.

Types of Identity Theft

In addition to the obvious reason of obtaining direct financial gain, it is not uncommon for identity theft to be committed in order to facilitate other crimes. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, there are five distinct types of identity theft. These include:

Identity Cloning and Concealment

This type of identity theft occurs when the perpetrator wants to take on the identity of another in order to conceal his true identity. For example, an illegal immigrant may steal a person’s identity in order to obtain a job in the United States.

Criminal Identity Theft

Criminal identity theft occurs when a person identifies himself as another person to avoid detection by law enforcement, to evade arrest, or to evade prosecution for a crime. Criminal identity theft might enable the perpetrator to commit a crime under the victim’s name, leaving the victim holding the bag. When this occurs, it may be difficult for the victim to clear his name completely, as it is an extensive process that involves the court system.

Synthetic Identity Theft

This crime involves the creation of a completely or partially fabricated identity. This is done by combining an individual’s real social security number with a phony name and made-up date of birth. This type of identity theft is difficult to track, as it may not appear on either person’s credit report. Instead, it may create an entirely new credit report file, or appear on the victim’s report as a sub-file.

Medical Identity Theft

The term medical identity theft, coined in 2006, is a form of insurance fraud. This involves an individual obtaining medical care under another person’s name, using the victim’s name and birth date, and possibly even his insurance policy information. The perpetrator’s medical information would be entered onto the victim’s medical records, and thus exposes the victim to financial losses for medical bills and insurance costs.

Child Identity Theft

The IRS requires that all children claimed as dependents on a parent’s income taxes have their own social security numbers. These social security numbers are valued commodities for fraudsters, as they have no information associated with them. Child identity theft may be committed by a family member or friend, but strangers might use the numbers to apply for loans, obtain credit cards, and even obtain a driver’s license. Because nobody thinks to obtain a child’s credit report, this crime may go undetected for many years.

Signs of Identity Theft

The best way for a person to detect identity theft is to keep track of their bank account and credit card transactions, and to check his credit report often. A credit report containing fraudulent or inaccurate information is a major red flag of identity theft, and the individual should immediately question the entries, inquiring further to determine where the information originated. Other signs of identity theft include:

• Failing to receive bills in the mail
• Seeing unexplained bank account withdrawals
• Being denied credit unexpectedly
• Having a merchant refuse to accept your check unexpectedly
• Receiving calls from debt collectors about accounts you are not aware of
• Receiving bills on accounts you did not know about
• Receiving notification from the IRS that more than one tax return was received in your name

Signs of medical identity theft include:

• Receiving a bill from a medical provider for services you never received
• Having a legitimate claim denied by your health plan because their records show you have reached your benefits limit
• Being denied coverage because your medical records show a condition you do not have

Identity Theft Protection

Identity theft cannot only damage their victim’s credit status, it can cost him dearly in money, and in valuable time trying to restore his good credit name. While wily fraudsters make it increasingly difficult for people to guard against identity theft, there are certain steps anyone can take to increase their vigilance in identity theft protection. The number one tip in preventing identity theft is to never carry personal identifying information, such as a social security card. The same goes for keeping such information in their car or other area that is relatively easy for thieves to access.

Other tips for identity theft protection include:

• Protect PIN numbers by never writing them on credit/debit cards, or on a slip of paper in a wallet
• Shield keypads when using ATMs or checkout systems
• Collect the mail immediately
• Have the post office hold mail when away for more than a day or two
• Pay attention to whether bills arrive as scheduled
• Keep all receipts and account statements
• Shred unwanted statements or receipts
• Keep all personal information in a safe place at home
• Ignore unsolicited requests for personal information
• Use firewalls on home computers
• Always use secure passwords
• Check credit reports annually, or any time theft is suspected

How to Report Identity Theft

When a person learns that his private information has been compromised, the next step is reporting the theft of personal information. Failing to take appropriate action as soon as the compromise or fraudulent activity occurs may result in greater damage to the victim’s accounts or financial situation. Important steps to remember include:

• Make a report to local law enforcement
• Contact the Federal Trade Commission
  Phone: 1-877-ID-THEFT
  Mail: Consumer Response Center, FTC, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580
• Report the theft or breach to your financial institution
• Contact the local post office if you believe your mail has been stolen
• Contact the Social Security Administration to report social security number theft or fraud
  Phone: (800) 269-0271
• Contact the Internal Revenue Service if improper use of identification information in used in connection with tax violations
  Phone: (800) 829-0433
• Contact any credit or retail companies with which you have accounts which might have been compromised
• Contact all credit-reporting agencies. In addition to phone and mail services, each agency provides online services for disputing claims, and for reporting identity theft and fraud.

Equifax
Phone: (800) 525-6285
Mail: P.O. Box 740250, Atlanta, GA 30374-0250

Experian
Phone: (888) EXPERIAN (1-888-397-37426)
Mail: P.O. Box 1017, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
Phone: (800) 680-7289
Mail: P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634

Identity Theft Statistics

Identity theft is a growing problem in the United States and other countries around the world. Each year, an estimated 15 million people in the U.S. alone have their identities stolen, or their personal information used fraudulently, which causes significant financial losses. The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network (“CSN”) compiles identity theft statistics.

In 2014, the CSN received more than 2.5 million complaints, 60 percent of which were fraud complaints, 13 percent of which were identity theft complaints, and 27 percent of which were other types of complaint. An analysis of these complaints provided some interesting information:

• Government documents were the most common items used in identify theft, followed by credit cards
• Only 32% of victims reported their identity theft to law enforcement
• Of that 32%, only 88% of victims indicate a report was taken or accepted
• Florida has the highest per-capita rate of reported identity theft, followed by Washington, then Oregon

Identity Theft Case

A notorious case of identity theft and fraud involved a convicted felon who incurred over $100,000 in credit card debt, as well as a $200,000 federal home loan, and purchased motorcycles and handguns in another man’s name, after stealing his identity. David obtained the man’s social security number and financial information and applied for the loan and credit cards. The man actually called his victim, taunting him, saying he could continue as long as he wanted, because identity theft was not a federal crime at that time.

The victim spent more than four years, and $15,000, attempting to restore his credit and good name. The perpetrator served only a short sentence for making a false statement to obtain the firearm, and was not ordered to make any restitution to the victim. This occurred prior to, and was one of the cases prompting enactment of the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998.

Related Legal Terms and Issues

• Criminal Charges – A formal accusation by a prosecuting authority that an individual has committed a crime.
• Fraud – A false representation of fact, whether by words, conduct, or concealment, intended to deceive another.
• Intent – A resolve to perform an act for a specific purpose; a resolution to use a particular means to a specific end.
• Perpetrator – A person who commits an illegal or criminal act.
• Victim – A person who is injured, killed, or otherwise harmed as a result of a criminal act, accident, or other event.

Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person’s personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term identity theft was coined in 1964.^[1] Since that time, the definition of identity theft has been statutorily defined throughout both the U.K. and the U.S. as the theft of personally identifiable information. Identity theft deliberately uses someone else’s identity as a method to gain financial advantages or obtain credit and other benefits,^[2][3] and perhaps to cause other person’s disadvantages or loss. The person whose identity has been stolen may suffer adverse consequences,^[4] especially if they are falsely held responsible for the perpetrator’s actions. Personally identifiable information generally includes a person’s name, date of birth, social security number, driver’s license number, bank account or credit card numbers, PINs, electronic signatures, fingerprints, passwords, or any other information that can be used to access a person’s financial resources.^[5]

Determining the link between data breaches and identity theft is challenging, primarily because identity theft victims often do not know how their personal information was obtained. According to a report done for the FTC, identity theft is not always detectable by the individual victims.^[6] Identity fraud is often but not necessarily the consequence of identity theft. Someone can steal or misappropriate personal information without then committing identity theft using the information about every person, such as when a major data breach occurs. A U.S. Government Accountability Office study determined that «most breaches have not resulted in detected incidents of identity theft».^[7] The report also warned that «the full extent is unknown». A later unpublished study by Carnegie Mellon University noted that «Most often, the causes of identity theft is not known», but reported that someone else concluded that «the probability of becoming a victim to identity theft as a result of a data breach is … around only 2%».^[8] For example, in one of the largest data breaches which affected over four million records, it resulted in only about 1,800 instances of identity theft, according to the company whose systems were breached.^{[citation needed]}

An October 2010 article entitled «Cyber Crime Made Easy» explained the level to which hackers are using malicious software.^[9] As Gunter Ollmann,
Chief Technology Officer of security at Microsoft, said, «Interested in credit card theft? There’s an app for that.»^[10] This statement summed up the ease with which these hackers are accessing all kinds of information online. The new program for infecting users’ computers was called Zeus, and the program is so hacker-friendly that even an inexperienced hacker can operate it. Although the hacking program is easy to use, that fact does not diminish the devastating effects that Zeus (or other software like Zeus) can do on a computer and the user. For example, programs like Zeus can steal credit card information, important documents, and even documents necessary for homeland security. If a hacker were to gain this information, it would mean identity theft or even a possible terrorist attack. The ITAC says that about 15 million Americans had their identity stolen in 2012.^[11]

Types[edit]

Sources such as the Non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center^[12] sub-divide identity theft into five categories:

• Criminal identity theft (posing as another person when apprehended for a crime)
• Financial identity theft (using another’s identity to obtain credit, goods, and services)
• Identity cloning (using another’s information to assume his or her identity in daily life)
• Medical identity theft (using another’s identity to obtain medical care or drugs)
• Child identity theft.

Identity theft may be used to facilitate or fund other crimes including Illegal immigration, terrorism, phishing and espionage. There are cases of identity cloning to attack payment systems, including online credit card processing and medical insurance.^[13]

Identity cloning and concealment[edit]

In this situation, the identity thief impersonates someone else to conceal their own true identity. Examples are illegal immigrants hiding their illegal status, people hiding from creditors or other individuals and those who simply want to become «anonymous» for personal reasons. Another example is posers, a label given to people who use someone else’s photos and information on social networking sites. Posers mostly create believable stories involving friends of the real person they are imitating. Unlike identity theft used to obtain credit which usually comes to light when the debts mount, concealment may continue indefinitely without being detected, particularly if the identity thief can obtain false credentials to pass various authentication tests in everyday life.

Criminal identity theft[edit]

When a criminal fraudulently identifies themselves to police as another individual at the point of arrest, it is sometimes referred to as «Criminal Identity Theft.» In some cases, criminals have previously obtained state-issued identity documents using credentials stolen from others, or have simply presented a fake ID. Provided the subterfuge works, charges may be placed under the victim’s name, letting the criminal off the hook. Victims might only learn of such incidents by chance, for example by receiving a court summons, discovering their driver’s licenses are suspended when stopped for minor traffic violations, or through background checks performed for employment purposes.

It can be difficult for the victim of criminal identity theft to clear their record. The steps required to clear the victim’s incorrect criminal record depend on which jurisdiction the crime occurred and whether the true identity of the criminal can be determined. The victim might need to locate the original arresting officers and prove their own identity by some reliable means such as fingerprinting or DNA testing and may need to go to a court hearing to be cleared of the charges. Obtaining an expungement of court records may also be required. Authorities might permanently maintain the victim’s name as an alias for the criminal’s true identity in their criminal records databases. One problem that victims of criminal identity theft may encounter is that various data aggregators might still have incorrect criminal records in their databases even after court and police records are corrected. Thus a future background check may return the incorrect criminal records.^[14] This is just one example of the kinds of impact that may continue to affect the victims of identity theft for some months or even years after the crime, aside from the psychological trauma that being ‘cloned’ typically engenders.

Synthetic identity theft[edit]

A variation of identity theft that has recently become more common is synthetic identity theft, in which identities are completely or partially fabricated.^[15] The most common technique involves combining a real social security number with a name and birthdate other than the ones that are simply associated with the number. Synthetic identity theft is more difficult to track as it doesn’t show on either person’s credit report directly but may appear as an entirely new file in the credit bureau or as a subfile on one of the victim’s credit reports. Synthetic identity theft primarily harms the creditors who unwittingly grant the fraudsters credit. Individual victims can be affected if their names become confused with the synthetic identities, or if negative information in their subfiles impacts their credit ratings.^[16]

Medical identity theft[edit]

Privacy researcher Pam Dixon, the founder of the World Privacy Forum,^[17] coined the term medical identity theft and released the first major report about this issue in 2006. In the report, she defined the crime for the first time and made the plight of victims public. The report’s definition of the crime is that medical identity theft occurs when someone seeks medical care under the identity of another person. Insurance theft is also very common, if a thief has your insurance information and or your insurance card, they can seek medical attention posing as yourself.^[18] In addition to risks of financial harm common to all forms of identity theft, the thief’s medical history may be added to the victim’s medical records. Inaccurate information in the victim’s records is difficult to correct and may affect future insurability or cause doctors to rely on misinformation to deliver inappropriate care. After the publication of the report, which contained a recommendation that consumers receive notifications of medical data breach incidents, California passed a law requiring this, and then finally HIPAA was expanded to also require medical breach notification when breaches affect 500 or more people.^[19][20] Data collected and stored by hospitals and other organizations such as medical aid schemes is up to 10 times more valuable to cybercriminals than credit card information.

Child identity theft[edit]

Child identity theft occurs when a minor’s identity is used by another person for the impostor’s personal gain. The impostor can be a family member, a friend, or even a stranger who targets children. The Social Security numbers of children are valued because they do not have any information associated with them. Thieves can establish lines of credit, obtain driver’s licenses, or even buy a house using a child’s identity. This fraud can go undetected for years, as most children do not discover the problem until years later. Child identity theft is fairly common, and studies have shown that the problem is growing. The largest study on child identity theft, as reported by Richard Power of the Carnegie Mellon Cylab with data supplied by AllClear ID, found that of 40,000 children, 10.2% were victims of identity theft.^[21]

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that about nine million people will be victims of identity theft in the United States per year. It was also estimated that in 2008 630,000 people under the age of 19 were victims of theft. This then gave them a debt of about $12,799 which was not theirs.^[22]

Not only are children in general big targets of identity theft but children who are in foster care are even bigger targets. This is because they are most likely moved around quite frequently and their SSN is being shared with multiple people and agencies. Foster children are even more victims of identity theft within their own families and other relatives. Young people in foster care who are victims of this crime are usually left alone to struggle and figure out how to fix their newly formed bad credit.^[22]

Financial identity theft[edit]

The most common type of identity theft is related to finance. Financial identity theft includes obtaining credit, loans, goods, and services while claiming to be someone else.^[23]

Tax identity theft[edit]

One of the major identity theft categories is tax identity theft. The most common method is to use a person’s authentic name, address, and Social Security Number to file a tax return with false information, and have the resulting refund direct-deposited into a bank account controlled by the thief. The thief in this case can also try to get a job and then their employer will report the income of the real taxpayer, this then results in the taxpayer getting in trouble with the IRS.^[24]

The 14039 Form to the IRS is a form that will help one fight against a theft like tax theft. This form will put the IRS on alert and someone who believed they have been a victim of tax-related theft will be given an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN), which is a 6 digit code used in replacing an SSN for filing tax returns.^[24]

Techniques for obtaining and exploiting personal information[edit]

Identity thieves typically obtain and exploit personally identifiable information about individuals, or various credentials they use to authenticate themselves, to impersonate them. Examples include:

• Rummaging through rubbish for personal information (dumpster diving)
• Retrieving personal data from redundant IT equipment and storage media including PCs, servers, PDAs, mobile phones, USB memory sticks, and hard drives that have been disposed of carelessly at public dump sites, given away, or sold on without having been properly sanitized
• Using public records about individual citizens, published in official registers such as electoral rolls^[25]
• Stealing bank or credit cards, identification cards, passports, authentication tokens … typically by pickpocketing, housebreaking or mail theft
• Common-knowledge questioning schemes that offer account verification, such as «What’s your mother’s maiden name?», «what was your first car model?», or «What was your first pet’s name?».
• Skimming information from bank or credit cards using compromised or hand-held card readers, and creating clone cards
• Using ‘ contactless’ credit card readers to acquire data wirelessly from RFID-enabled passports
• Shoulder-Surfing, involves an individual who discreetly watches or hears others providing valuable personal information. This is particularly done in crowded places because it is relatively easy to observe someone as they fill out forms, enter PINs on ATMs or even type passwords on smartphones.
• Stealing personal information from computers using breaches in browser security or malware such as Trojan horse keystroke logging programs or other forms of spyware
• Hacking computer networks, systems, and databases to obtain personal data, often in large quantities
• Exploiting breaches that result in the publication or more limited disclosure of personal information such as names, addresses, Social Security number or credit card numbers
• Advertising bogus job offers to accumulate resumes and applications typically disclosing applicants’ names, home and email addresses, telephone numbers, and sometimes their banking details
• Exploiting insider access and abusing the rights of privileged IT users to access personal data on their employers’ systems
• Infiltrating organizations that store and process large amounts or particularly valuable personal information
• Impersonating trusted organizations in emails, SMS text messages, phone calls, or other forms of communication to dupe victims into disclosing their personal information or login credentials, typically on a fake corporate website or data collection form (phishing)
• Brute-force attacking weak passwords and using inspired guesswork to compromise weak password reset questions
• Obtaining castings of fingers for falsifying fingerprint identification.
• Browsing social networking websites for personal details published by users, often using this information to appear more credible in subsequent social engineering activities
• Diverting victims’ email or post to obtain personal information and credentials such as credit cards, billing, and bank/credit card statements, or to delay the discovery of new accounts and credit agreements opened by the identity thieves in the victims’ names
• Using false pretenses to trick individuals, customer service representatives, and help desk workers to disclose personal information and login details or changing user passwords/access rights (pretexting)
• Stealing cheques (checks) to acquire banking information, including account numbers and bank codes^[26]
• Guessing Social Security numbers by using information found on Internet social networks such as Twitter and MySpace^[27]
• Low security/privacy protection on photos that are easily clickable and downloaded on social networking sites.
• Befriending strangers on social networks and taking advantage of their trust until private information is given. (Social Engineering)

Indicators[edit]

The majority of identity theft victims do not realize that they are a victim until it has negatively impacted their lives. Many people do not find out that their identities have been stolen until they are contacted by financial institutions or discover suspicious activities on their bank accounts.^[28] According to an article by Herb Weisbaum, everyone in the US should assume that their personal information has been compromised at one point.^[28] It is therefore of great importance to watch out for warning signs that your identity has been compromised. The following are eleven indicators that someone else might be using your identity.

1. Credit or debit card charges for goods or services you are not aware of, including unauthorized withdrawals from your account^[28]
2. Receiving calls from credit or debit card fraud control department warning of possible suspicious activity on your credit card account^[29]
3. Receiving credit cards that you did not apply for^[29]
4. Receiving information that a credit scoring investigation was done. They are often done when a loan or phone subscription was applied for.
5. Checks bouncing for lack of enough money in your account to cover the amount. This might be as a result of unauthorized withdrawals from your account^[29]
6. Identity theft criminals may commit crimes with your personal information. You may not realize this until you see the police on your door arresting you for crimes that you did not commit^[29]
7. Sudden changes to your credit score may indicate that someone else is using your credit cards^[30]
8. Bills for services like gas, water, electricity not arriving in time. This can be an indication that your mail was stolen or redirected^[30]
9. Not being approved for loans because your credit report indicates that you are not credit worthy^[30]
10. Receiving notification from your post office informing you that your mails are being forwarded to another unknown address^[31]
11. Your yearly tax returns indicating that you have earned more than you have actually earned. This might indicate that someone is using your national identification number e.g. SSN to report their earnings to the tax authorities^[31]

Individual identity protection[edit]

The acquisition of personal identifiers is made possible through serious breaches of privacy. For consumers, this is usually a result of them naively providing their personal information or login credentials to the identity thieves (e.g., in a phishing attack) but identity-related documents such as credit cards, bank statements, utility bills, checkbooks, etc. may also be physically stolen from vehicles, homes, offices, and not the least letterboxes, or directly from victims by pickpockets and bag snatchers. Guardianship of personal identifiers by consumers is the most common intervention strategy recommended by the US Federal Trade Commission, Canadian Phone Busters and most sites that address identity theft. Such organizations offer recommendations on how individuals can prevent their information from falling into the wrong hands.

Identity theft can be partially mitigated by not identifying oneself unnecessarily (a form of information security control known as risk avoidance). This implies that organizations, IT systems, and procedures should not demand excessive amounts of personal information or credentials for identification and authentication. Requiring, storing, and processing personal identifiers (such as Social Security number, national identification number, driver’s license number, credit card number, etc.) increases the risks of identity theft unless this valuable personal information is adequately secured at all times. Committing personal identifiers to memory is a sound practice that can reduce the risks of a would-be identity thief from obtaining these records. To help in remembering numbers such as social security numbers and credit card numbers, it is helpful to consider using mnemonic techniques or memory aids such as the mnemonic Major System.

Identity thieves sometimes impersonate dead people, using personal information obtained from death notices, gravestones, and other sources to exploit delays between the death and the closure of the person’s accounts, the inattentiveness of grieving families, and weaknesses in the processes for credit-checking. Such crimes may continue for some time until the deceased’s families or the authorities notice and react to anomalies.^[32]

In recent years^[when?], commercial identity theft protection/insurance services have become available in many countries. These services purport to help protect the individual from identity theft or help detect that identity theft has occurred in exchange for a monthly or annual membership fee or premium.^[33] The services typically work either by setting fraud alerts on the individual’s credit files with the three major credit bureaus or by setting up credit report monitoring with the credit bureau. While identity theft protection/insurance services have been heavily marketed, their value has been called into question.^[34]

Potential outcomes[edit]

Identity theft is a serious problem in the United States. In a 2018 study, it was reported that 60 million Americans’ identities had been wrongfully acquired.^[35] In response, under advisement from the Identity Theft Resource Center, some new bills have been implemented to improve security such as requiring electronic signatures and social security verification.^[35]

Several types of identity theft are used to gather information, one of the most common types occurs when consumers make online purchases.^[36] A study was conducted with 190 people to determine the relationship between the constructs of fear of financial losses and reputational damages.^[36] The conclusions of this study revealed that identity theft was a positive correlation with reputable damages.^[36] The relationship between perceived risk and online purchase intention were negative.^[36] The significance of this study reveals that online companies are more aware of the potential harm that can be done to their consumers, therefore they are searching for ways to reduce the perceived risk of consumers and not lose out on business.

Victims of identity theft may face years of effort proving to the legal system that they are the true person,^[37] leading to emotional strain and financial losses. Most identity theft is perpetrated by a family member of the victim, and some may not be able to obtain new credit cards or open new bank accounts or loans.^[37]

Identity protection by organizations[edit]

In their May 1998 testimony before the United States Senate, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) discussed the sale of Social Security numbers and other personal identifiers by credit-raters and data miners. The FTC agreed to the industry’s self-regulating principles restricting access to information on credit reports.^[38] According to the industry, the restrictions vary according to the category of customer. Credit reporting agencies gather and disclose personal and credit information to a wide business client base.

Poor stewardship of personal data by organizations, resulting in unauthorized access to sensitive data, can expose individuals to the risk of identity theft. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has documented over 900 individual data breaches by US companies and government agencies since January 2005, which together have involved over 200 million total records containing sensitive personal information, many containing social security numbers.^[39] Poor corporate diligence standards which can result in data breaches include:

• failure to shred confidential information before throwing it into dumpsters
• failure to ensure adequate network security
• credit card numbers stolen by call center agents and people with access to call recordings
• the theft of laptop computers or portable media being carried off-site containing vast amounts of personal information. The use of strong encryption on these devices can reduce the chance of data being misused should a criminal obtain them.
• the brokerage of personal information to other businesses without ensuring that the purchaser maintains adequate security controls
• Failure of governments, when registering sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations, to determine if the officers listed in the Articles of Incorporation are who they say they are. This potentially allows criminals access to personal information through credit rating and data mining services.

The failure of corporate or government organizations to protect consumer privacy, client confidentiality and political privacy has been criticized for facilitating the acquisition of personal identifiers by criminals.^[40]

Using various types of biometric information, such as fingerprints, for identification and authentication has been cited as a way to thwart identity thieves, however, there are technological limitations and privacy concerns associated with these methods as well.

Market[edit]

There is an active market for buying and selling stolen personal information, which occurs mostly in darknet markets but also in other black markets.^[41] People increase the value of the stolen data by aggregating it with publicly available data, and sell it again for a profit, increasing the damage that can be done to the people whose data was stolen.^[42]

Legal responses[edit]

International[edit]

In March 2014, after it was learned two passengers with stolen passports were on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which went missing on 8 March 2014. It came to light that Interpol maintains a database of 40 million lost and stolen travel documents from 157 countries, which Interpol makes available to governments and the public, including airlines and hotels. The Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database, however, is rarely used. Big News Network (which is based in the UAE) reported that Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble told a forum in Abu Dhabi in the previous month, «The bad news is that, despite being incredibly cost-effective and deployable to virtually anywhere in the world, only a handful of countries are systematically using SLTD to screen travelers. The result is a major gap in our global security apparatus that is left vulnerable to exploitation by criminals and terrorists.»^[43]

Australia[edit]

In Australia, each state has enacted laws that deal with different aspects of identity or fraud issues. Some states have now amended relevant criminal laws to reflect crimes of identity theft, such as the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935 (SA), Crimes Amendment (Fraud, Identity and Forgery Offences) Act 2009, and also in Queensland under the Criminal Code 1899 (QLD). Other states and territories are in states of development in respect of regulatory frameworks relating to identity theft such as Western Australia in respect of the Criminal Code Amendment (Identity Crime) Bill 2009.

At the Commonwealth level, under the Criminal Code Amendment (Theft, Fraud, Bribery & Related Offences) Act 2000 which amended certain provisions within the Criminal Code Act 1995,

135.1 General dishonesty

(3) A person is guilty of an offense if
a) the person does anything with the intention of dishonestly causing a loss to another person; and
b) the other person is a Commonwealth entity.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 5 years.

Between 2014 and 2015 in Australia, there were 133,921 fraud and deception offences, an increase of 6% from previous year. The total cost reported by the Attorney General Department was:^[44]

Total costs^[44]

Fraud category	Cost per incident	Total direct cost
Commonwealth fraud	$2,111	$353,866,740
Personal fraud	$400	$656,550,506
Police recorded fraud	$4,412 per unrecorded incident $27,981 per recorded incident	$3,260,141,049

There are also high indirect costs associated as a direct result of an incident. For example, the total indirect costs for police recorded fraud is $5,774,081.^[44]

Likewise, each state has enacted its own privacy laws to prevent the misuse of personal information and data. The Commonwealth Privacy Act applies only to Commonwealth and territory agencies and to certain private-sector bodies (where, for example, they deal with sensitive records, such as medical records, or they have more than $3 million in turnover PA).

Canada[edit]

Under section 402.2 of the Criminal Code,

Everyone commits an offense who knowingly obtains or possesses another person’s identity information in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that the information is intended to be used to commit an indictable offense that includes fraud, deceit, or falsehood as an element of the offense.
is guilty of an indictable offense and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years; or is guilty of an offense punishable on summary conviction.

Under section 403 of the Criminal Code,

(1) Everyone commits an offense who fraudulently personates another person, living or dead,

(a) with intent to gain advantage for themselves or another person;
(b) with intent to obtain any property or an interest in any property;
(c) with intent to cause disadvantage to the person being personated or another person; or
(d) with intent to avoid arrest or prosecution or to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice.

is guilty of an indictable offense and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than 10 years; or guilty of an offense punishable on summary conviction.

In Canada, Privacy Act (federal legislation) covers only federal government, agencies and crown corporations. Each province and territory has its own privacy law and privacy commissioners to limit the storage and use of personal data.
For the private sector, the purpose of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (2000, c. 5) (known as PIPEDA) is to establish rules to govern the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information; except for the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia where provincial laws have been deemed substantially similar.

Proposed legislation[edit]

• Bill C-27 (39th Canadian Parliament, 2nd Session)

France[edit]

In France, a person convicted of identity theft can be sentenced up to five years in prison and fined up to €75,000.^[45]

Hong Kong[edit]

Under HK Laws. Chap 210 Theft Ordinance, sec. 16A Fraud:

(1) If any person by any deceit (whether or not the deceit is the sole or main inducement) and with intent to defraud induces another person to commit an act or make an omission, which results either-

(a) in benefit to any person other than the second-mentioned person; or
(b) in prejudice or a substantial risk of prejudice to any person other than the first-mentioned person,

the first-mentioned person commits the offense of fraud and is liable on conviction upon indictment to imprisonment for 14 years.

Under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, it established the post^{[clarification needed]} of Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data and mandates how much personal information one can collect, retain and destroy. This legislation also provides citizens the right to request information held by businesses and the government to the extent provided by this law.

India[edit]

Under the Information Technology Act 2000 Chapter IX Sec 66C:

SECTION 66C

PUNISHMENT FOR IDENTITY THEFT

Whoever, fraudulently or dishonestly makes use of the electronic signature, password, or any other unique identification feature of any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to rupees one lakh.^[46]

Philippines[edit]

Social networking sites are one of the most famous spreaders of posers in the online community, giving the users the freedom to post any information they want without any verification that the account is being used by the real person.^{[clarification needed]}

The Philippines, which ranks eighth in the numbers of users of Facebook and other social networking sites (such as Twitter, Multiply and Tumblr), has been known as a source of various identity theft problems.^[47] Identities of people who carelessly put personal information on their profiles can easily be stolen just by simple browsing. Some people meet online, get to know each other through Facebook chat, and exchange messages that share private information. Others get romantically involved with online friends and end up sharing too much information (such as their social security number, bank account, home address, and company address).

This phenomenon leads to the creation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10175). Section 2 of this act states that it recognizes the importance of communication and multimedia for the development, exploitation, and dissemination of information^{[clarification needed]}, but violators will be punished by the law through imprisonment or a fine upwards of ₱200,000, but not exceeding ₱1,000,000, or (depending on the damage caused) both.

Sweden[edit]

Sweden has had relatively few problems with identity theft because only Swedish identity documents were accepted for identity verification. Stolen documents are traceable by banks and certain other institutions^[which?]. Banks are required to check the identity of anyone withdrawing money or getting loans. If a bank gives money to someone using an identity document that has been reported as stolen, the bank must take this loss. Since 2008, any EU passport is valid in Sweden for identity verification, and Swedish passports are valid all over the EU. This makes it harder to detect stolen documents, but banks in Sweden still must ensure that stolen documents are not accepted.

Other types of identity theft have become more common in Sweden. One common example is ordering a credit card to someone who has an unlocked letterbox and is not home during the daytime. The thief steals the letter with the credit card and the letter with the code, which typically arrives a few days later. Usage of a stolen credit card is difficult in Sweden since an identity document or a PIN code is normally demanded. If a shop does not demand either, it must take the loss from accepting a stolen credit card. The practice of observing someone using their credit card’s PIN code, stealing the credit card, or skimming it, and then using the credit card has become more common.

Legally, Sweden is an open society. The Principle of Public Access states that all information (e.g. addresses, incomes, taxes) kept by public authorities must be available for anyone, except in certain cases (for example, the addresses of people who need to hide are restricted). This makes fraud easier.

Until 2016, there were no laws that specifically prohibited using someone’s identity. Instead, there were only laws regarding any indirect damages caused. Impersonating anyone else for financial gain is a type of fraud in the Criminal Code (Swedish: brottsbalken). Impersonating anyone else to discredit them by hacking into their social media accounts and provoke^{[clarification needed]} is considered libel. However, it is difficult to convict someone of committing this crime. In late 2016, a new law was introduced which partially banned undetermined^{[clarification needed]} identity usage.^[48]

United Kingdom[edit]

In the United Kingdom, personal data is protected by the Data Protection Act 1998. The Act covers all personal data which an organization may hold, including names, birthday and anniversary dates, addresses, and telephone numbers.

Under English law (which extends to Wales but not to Northern Ireland or Scotland), the deception offences under the Theft Act 1968 increasingly contend with identity theft situations. In R v Seward (2005) EWCA Crim 1941,^[49] the defendant was acting as the «frontman» in the use of stolen credit cards and other documents to obtain goods. He obtained goods to the value of £10,000 for others who are unlikely ever to be identified. The Court of Appeal considered a sentencing policy for deception offenses involving «identity theft» and concluded that a prison sentence was required. Henriques J. said at para 14: «Identity fraud is a particularly pernicious and prevalent form of dishonesty calling for, in our judgment, deterrent sentences.»

Statistics released by CIFAS (UK’s Fraud Prevention Service) show that there were 89,000 victims of identity theft in the UK in 2010 and 85,000 victims in 2009.^{[50][51][unreliable source?]} Men in their 30s and 40s are the most common victims.^{[52][unreliable source?]} Identity fraud now accounts for nearly half of all frauds recorded.^[53]

United States[edit]

The increase in crimes of identity theft led to the drafting of the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act.^[54] In 1998, The Federal Trade Commission appeared before the United States Senate.^[55] The FTC discussed crimes which exploit consumer credit to commit loan fraud, mortgage fraud, lines-of-credit fraud, credit card fraud, commodities and services frauds. The Identity Theft Deterrence Act (2003)[ITADA] amended U.S. Code Title 18, § 1028 («Fraud related to activity in connection with identification documents, authentication features, and information»). The statute now makes the possession of any «means of identification» to «knowingly transfer, possess, or use without lawful authority» a federal crime, alongside unlawful possession of identification documents. However, for federal jurisdiction to prosecute, the crime must include an «identification document» that either: (a) is purportedly issued by the United States, (b) is used or intended to defraud the United States, (c) is sent through the mail, or (d) is used in a manner that affects interstate or foreign commerce. See 18 U.S.C. § 1028(c). Punishment can be up to 5, 15, 20, or 30 years in federal prison, plus fines, depending on the underlying crime per 18 U.S.C. § 1028(b). In addition, punishments for the unlawful use of a «means of identification» were strengthened in § 1028A («Aggravated Identity Theft»), allowing for a consecutive sentence under specific enumerated felony violations as defined in § 1028A(c)(1) through (11).^[56]

The Act also provides the Federal Trade Commission with authority to track the number of incidents and the dollar value of losses. Their figures relate mainly to consumer financial crimes and not the broader range of all identification-based crimes.^[57]

If charges are brought by state or local law enforcement agencies, different penalties apply to depend on the state.

Six Federal agencies conducted a joint task force to increase the ability to detect identity theft. Their joint recommendation on «red flag» guidelines is a set of requirements on financial institutions and other entities which furnish credit data to credit reporting services to develop written plans for detecting identity theft. The FTC has determined that most medical practices are considered creditors and are subject to requirements to develop a plan to prevent and respond to patient identity theft.^[58] These plans must be adopted by each organization’s board of directors and monitored by senior executives.^[59]

Identity theft complaints as a percentage of all fraud complaints decreased from 2004 to 2006.^[60] The Federal Trade Commission reported that fraud complaints in general were growing faster than ID theft complaints.^[60] The findings were similar in two other FTC studies done in 2003 and 2005. In 2003, 4.6 percent of the US population said they were a victim of ID theft. In 2005, that number had dropped to 3.7 percent of the population.^[61][62] The commission’s 2003 estimate was that identity theft accounted for some $52.6 billion of losses in the preceding year alone and affected more than 9.91 million Americans;^[63] the figure comprises $47.6 billion lost by businesses and $5 billion lost by consumers.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2010, 7% of US households experienced identity theft — up from 5.5% in 2005 when the figures were first assembled, but broadly flat since 2007.^[64] In 2012, approximately 16.6 million persons, or 7% of all U.S. residents age 16 or older, reported being victims of one or more incidents of identity theft.^[65]

At least two states, California^[66] and Wisconsin^[67] have created an Office of Privacy Protection to assist their citizens in avoiding and recovering from identity theft.

In 2009, Indiana created an Identity Theft Unit within their Office of Attorney General to educate and assist consumers in avoiding and recovering from identity theft as well as assist law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting identity theft crimes.^[68][69]

In Massachusetts in 2009–2010, Governor Deval Patrick committed to balancing consumer protection with the needs of small business owners. His Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation announced certain adjustments to Massachusetts’ identity theft regulations that maintain protections and also allow flexibility in compliance. These updated regulations went into effect on 1 March 2010. The regulations are clear that their approach to data security is a risk-based approach important to small businesses and might not handle a lot of personal information about customers.^[70][71]

The IRS has created^[when?] the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit to help taxpayers’ who are victims of federal tax-related identity theft.^[72] Generally, the identity thief will use a stolen SSN to file a forged tax return and attempt to get a fraudulent refund early in the filing season. A taxpayer will need to fill out Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit.^[73][74]

As for the future of medical care and Medicaid, people are mostly concerned about cloud computing. The addition of using cloud information within the United States medicare system would institute easily accessible health information for individuals, but that also makes it easier for identity theft. Currently, new technology is being produced to help encrypt and protect files, which will create a smooth transition to cloud technology in the healthcare system.^[75]

Notification[edit]

Many states followed California’s lead and enacted mandatory data breach notification laws. As a result, companies that report a data breach typically report it to all their customers.^[76]

Spread and impact[edit]

Surveys in the US from 2003 to 2006 showed a decrease in the total number of identity fraud victims and a decrease in the total value of identity fraud from US$47.6 billion in 2003 to $15.6 billion in 2006.^{[citation needed]} The average fraud per person decreased from $4,789 in 2003 to $1,882 in 2006. A Microsoft report shows that this drop is due to statistical problems with the methodology, that such survey-based estimates are «hopelessly flawed» and exaggerate the true losses by orders of magnitude.^[77]

The 2003 survey from the Identity Theft Resource Center^[78] found that:

• Only 15% of victims find out about the theft through proactive action taken by a business
• The average time spent by victims resolving the problem is about 330 hours
• 73% of respondents indicated the crime involved the thief acquiring a credit card

In a widely publicized account,^[79] Michelle Brown, a victim of identity fraud, testified before a U.S. Senate Committee Hearing on Identity Theft. Ms. Brown testified that: «over a year and a half from January 1998 through July 1999, one individual impersonated me to procure over $50,000 in goods and services. Not only did she damage my credit, but she escalated her crimes to a level that I never truly expected: she engaged in drug trafficking. The crime resulted in my erroneous arrest record, a warrant out for my arrest, and eventually, a prison record when she was booked under my name as an inmate in the Chicago Federal Prison.»

In Australia, identity theft was estimated to be worth between A$1billion and A$4 billion per annum in 2001.^[80]

In the United Kingdom, the Home Office reported that identity fraud costs the UK economy £1.2 billion annually^[81] (experts believe that the real figure could be much higher)^[82] although privacy groups object to the validity of these numbers, arguing that they are being used by the government to push for introduction of national ID cards. Confusion over exactly what constitutes identity theft has led to claims that statistics may be exaggerated.^[83]
An extensively reported^[84][85] study from Microsoft Research^[86] in 2011 finds that estimates of identity theft losses contain enormous exaggerations, writing that surveys «are so compromised and biased that no faith whatever can be placed in their findings.»

See also[edit]

Types of fraud and theft[edit]

Organizations[edit]

Laws[edit]

Notable identity thieves and cases[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Identity theft – United States Federal Trade Commission
• Identity Theft Recovery Plan FTC steps for identity theft victims.
• The President’s Task Force on Identity Theft – a government task force established by US President George W. Bush to fight identity theft.
• Identity theft at Curlie
• Identity Theft – Carnegie Mellon University
• Identity Theft: A Research Review, National Institute of Justice 2007
• Identity Theft and Fraud – United States Department of Justice
• Dateline NBC investigation ‘To Catch an ID Thief’
• «Transcript of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras Announcing the Release of the President’s Identity Theft Task Force». US Department of Justice. 23 April 2007. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
• Roxana, Hegeman (25 March 2013). «Woman Gets Prison Time in ‘Total Identity Theft’ — ABC News». ABC News. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
• Scam on the Run — Fugitive Identity Thief Led Global Criminal Enterprise FBI

Here’s another word for identity theft: You’ve been scammed!

Receiving emails that lead to your account being hacked or answering phone calls and giving any sensitive info only to find your credit card was used by an unknown user are examples of real-life identity theft scenarios.

Put simply, identity theft is the use of someone’s personal info to commit fraud and gain financial benefits.

What to Expect From This Article:

• I’ll explain the concept of IDENTITY THEFT to you more in detail through this article.
• I’ll walk you through the common types you might encounter throughout your career.
• How each type affects your wellbeing and personal life.
• What you should do if you’re a victim of identity theft.

Let’s begin!

What Is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is a crime that involves the illegal OBTAINING AND USE of personal or financial information of another person for unauthorized transactions or purchases.

Personal information that can EASILY be stolen include the following:

• Your Social Security Number
• Your Bank Account Number
• Your Credit Card Information
• Email address
• Medical records
• Ic number

Think of it this way: an identity thief STEALS information with the intention to COMMIT FRAUD.

Ultimately, prepare to have your credit report filled with suspicious activities.

The crime is common enough as it is committed through MANY UNIQUE DIFFERENT WAYS… more especially now through the advent of TECHNOLOGY.

What Are Some Types of Identity Theft?

I’ll walk you through 8 different types of identity theft in this section.

#1 Financial Identity Theft

Financial identity theft occurs when identity thieves USE another person’s identity or personal information for FINANCE PURPOSES:

• Credit
• Benefits
• Goods and Services

It is the MOST COMMON TYPE OF IDENTITY THEFT… and moreover, it exists in two forms:

Existing Account Takeover Identity Theft

This type of identity theft is common because CRIMINALS CAN EASILY ACCESS EXISTING ACCOUNTS.

If you have an existing Social Security number, a credit card number, a driver’s license, or any information that could be of interest to identity thieves, then you’re susceptible to ID theft and fraud.

This type of account takeover fraud usually happens this way:

• Criminals STEAL something from you such as your credit card information
• They then make small credit or debit charges so their fraud goes unnoticed
• This goes on until they can ensure their own safety
• A HUGE charge will suddenly be reflected on your records

There is, however, an upside to this type of identity theft: you can DETECT it.

For as long as you have identity theft protection systems in place, you can PROTECT and REGULARLY check your consumer and credit report.

New Account Identity Theft

Criminals also look for ways to start NEW ACCOUNTS under your name. Compared to the former, this fraud is HARDER to detect.

Thieves can sift through your TRASH or PUBLIC RECORDS to open NEW bank accounts and secure NEW credit card numbers under your name.

Again, this will lower your credit score and leave you in DEBT.

Identity theft protection is particularly hard to secure for this because:

• You probably won’t receive any BILLING STATEMENT
• You will only know about your CREDIT REPORT if you regularly check and request for it
• New accounts may ONLY use your credit details and have bogus personal information such as name and address for a stronger fraud

The Solution?

Sign up for a CREDIT MONITORING SERVICE so you can get credit reports from the major credit bureaus regularly. It would be best to do this the moment you are eligible to avail of one.

Social Security numbers are among the MOST WIDELY USED identification channels used for official purposes. If you’re a citizen receiving any income, then it’s imperative you HAVE one.

As such, this is one of the most common types of identity theft for TWO MAIN REASONS:

• EVERYONE who earns money has one, and
• A person with access to a social security number can reap its BENEFITS

There are quite A LOT and you’ll learn more about them further in this article!

In the meantime, allow me to inform you briefly so you can be warier about this type of identity fraud… these thieves can:

• Apply for credit cards and loans
• Not pay outstanding balances
• Receive medical and disability benefits, among others
• Get a job under your name
• Tax you more than what you’re supposed to pay
• Lower your credit score

What Social Security theft really steals from you is your privilege to RECEIVE BENEFITS further into your career.

The Solution?

Constantly check your CREDIT REPORTS for credit monitoring.

If you happen to see an entry or employer you DON’T RECOGNIZE, then I highly suggest that you look into it as soon as possible.

#3 Tax Identity Theft

Tax identity theft involves an imposter using your personal information to file a FAKE state or federal tax return with the main purpose of COLLECTING A REFUND under your name.

The information these thieves will look for includes your BASIC INFORMATION, most especially your social security number.

To make sure you won’t fall for these types of identity theft, here are some scams to keep an eye out for:

• Phishing emails from the  Internal Revenue Service or relevant financial institutions. Before clicking on a link, make sure the SENDER and SITE DOMAIN is official.
• Otherwise, those links are surely bogus websites or suspicious malware that extract your personal information from your computer.
• Phone calls or text messages that seek to INFORM you of your balances or even THREATEN you with legal action. The IRS will never do this outside of their official mailing system.

How Do You Know If You’re a VICTIM to Tax Identity Theft?

Other than your routine credit report filings and the IRS reaching out to you beforehand, the only way to know about it is if your request for a tax return gets REJECTED.

This informs you that SOMEONE has already filed a return in your name.

Here’s what you can do when faced with this identity theft:

• Contact the IRS immediately and inquire about pertinent details
• Place a fraud alert and file a fraud claim
• Verify your identity
• Secure your channels for future tax returns

#4 Medical Identity Theft

It’s possible for someone to RECEIVE FREE MEDICAL CARE ILLEGALLY under your name after medical identity theft.

This type of identity theft is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Why? Simply because its repercussions go beyond your finances… here’s why:

• Identity thieves may use your HEALTH INSURANCE that you have been saving for yourself… yes, this financially affects you AND it reaps you off of your future benefits in case of an emergency.
• Even more pressing, doctors may update your medical records with FALSE INFORMATION only relevant to the thief! You wouldn’t want to ever be treated wrongly, nor do doctors want to treat you wrongly either.
• Life insurances may also become inaccessible to you for the sole reason that the PREMIUMS aren’t calculated based on your own medical history anymore.

Saving for medical insurance, only for your savings to be gone by medical identity theft is not only UNFAIR but also LIFE-THREATENING.

Now Regarding Your Medical Bills…

Remember to DISPUTE bogus bills that you receive.

• Did you receive such treatment?
• Are the details relevant to you?

These are questions you should ask yourself when going over your records. If any of the information seems questionable, DISPUTE the bill immediately.

Also, remember to ROUTINELY sign up for credit monitoring.

Find out the dips in your credit scores… you can sometimes relate these to UNPAID medical bills that have never reached your doorstep or email channels.

#5 Child Identity Theft

Children are sometimes given a Social Security number upon birth. They, too, are especially susceptible to child identity theft.

Imposters can use a child’s identity for personal gains:

• Employment
• Residence
• Loans
• Avoidance of arrest

These are all possible because with a child listed as a DEPENDENCY, chances for application success increase.

The worst cases for this type of identity theft include ACTUAL new applications for  Social Security numbers AND new accounts for more benefits… all of course, with the use of the child’s personal information.

Why Is This Type of Theft Appealing to Scammers?

There is a simple answer to this question: children simply do NOT have information or reports that could result in the REJECTION of new applications.

• A child will also not be interested in credit monitoring until they are right of age to apply for school, a car, or credit card loans
• By the time this happens, the child will ALREADY be indebted with low credit scores
• Personal information can also be EASILY STOLEN from school public databases or store AND social media accounts

As a parent, it may be possible for you to RECEIVE the following in the event of child identity theft:

• IRS notice for tax burden upon your child
• Notices of government benefits rejection
• Unknown bills from unknown accounts
• Credit card bills and bank statements under the name of your child

Adults can REGULARLY check for their credit reports, but children?

Parents would have to consciously file for REQUESTS from credit bureaus for their personal credit file.

#6 Criminal Identity Theft

Criminal identity theft occurs when a criminal gives false information to a police officer. Of course, with the intention to avoid an arrest or a summon.

You’ll be surprised by just how easy it is to do this:

• Imposters can often come up with fake paperwork (most commonly a driver’s license) to support their FAKE identity
• Such fake identities could include your own personal information
• Criminals usually bank on PUBLIC information from your social media accounts

These types of identity theft are also TRICKY. You’ll only realize you’re a VICTIM until you apply for a job that requires ample background check.

In short, criminal identity theft can get you in trouble for a crime you did NOT commit.

#7 Synthetic Identity Theft

Criminals commit synthetic identity theft when they COMBINE REAL AND FAKE information to create a new identity.

These ACCOUNTS are used to make fraudulent purchases AND receive benefits from various institutions. Furthermore, these types of identity theft often result in the following:

• Stealing money or loans from a credit card company based on a fake identity
• Credit card fraud losses in the United States

These frauds affect retailers and companies, yes. But as a consumer, this type of fraud makes it DIFFICULT to detect.

Simply, synthetic identity theft is an EVOLVED way identity thieves achieve their schemes.

Despite having used your Social Security number, a fake name and/or address will NOT have the finances appear on your credit report. This type of ID theft steals personal information that could also eventually result in employment identity theft.

Once again, identity theft protection proves to be important especially if you have YET to avail of a credit monitoring service.

#8 Estate Identity Theft

If not processed and closed properly, accounts tied to the deceased may still be used by imposters.

This type of identity theft leaves a GREATER IMPACT on the deceased’s family members, friends, relatives, or even former employees for credit reports. More so, it impacts subsequent inheritance.

To avoid estate identity theft, relatives should make sure that:

• An official death certificate is FILED AND ISSUED
• Appropriate accounts (banks, credit cards, jobs, etc.) are informed about the passing away of the deceased for their OFFICIAL CLOSING and TERMINATION
• Financial institutions are INFORMED about the management of the deceased’s finances
• Outstanding debts are ADDRESSED

I understand how this might be difficult for the families to process, but these are necessary actions one must take to avoid future debts and problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

How EXACTLY Can Thieves Manage to Steal My Information?

You’ll be quite surprised by just how CREATIVE fraudsters have evolved through the years.

TRADITIONALLY, these are some of the ways they can steal your identity:

• Sifting through TRASH BINS… yes, simply throwing your credit card statements in the trash CAN make you a prone victim to identity theft!
• Sifting through your MAILBOX… and yes, it is ALREADY a crime in itself to do this, but it’s also one way imposters can steal identities!
• Accessing HARD DRIVES from stolen or discarded computers… it’s really important for you to clear the memories of your devices before getting rid of them, and this is why.
• Through GOSSIPS and mere MONITORING… some fraudsters actually DO take time to observe habits physically in the office or places you frequent like malls.

Even worse? TECHNOLOGY has made stealing easier.

IN MODERN TIMES, these are some of the ways they can steal your identity:

• Accessing CORPORATE DATABASES… hacking through databases is a lot easier now, so don’t be surprised if you’re certain that you have NEVER disclosed your information anywhere.
• BUYING information from database managers (or hackers)… yes, fraudsters make a BUSINESS out of it too.
• Accessing UNPROTECTED cloud-based public records… if ever you DO need to provide some of this information publicly, MAKE SURE the sites that you trust are secured and private.
• Using information-gathering MALWARE or VIRUS… this should be straightforward as is. Fraudsters CAN resort to advanced hacking and everyone is susceptible to this type of scheme.
• Using deceptive EMAILS or TEXT MESSAGES… you may have received a couple of these already, and it’s actually amazing how REAL these messages could sound!
• Browsing through SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES… fraudsters bank on the details that you publicly put on your profiles. Be careful of what you post especially on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter!

How Does Identity Theft AFFECT me?

The quick answer: identity theft can easily ruin your FINANCES, CREDIT SCORE, AND REPUTATION.

Finances and Credit Score

Finances should be straightforward enough. You LOSE MONEY simply because fraudsters pretend to be you for easy money acquisition.

You wouldn’t even know if you’re a victim of identity theft UNTIL you receive a call from your creditor. It might also be a reason why your bank loan applications keep on being rejected.

Reputation

Of course, this is all reflected in your REPUTATION.

• Running out of cash?
• Missing out on payment deadlines?
• Continuously taking out loans?

The point of the matter is that: NO ONE WILL CARE IF YOU ARE A VICTIM OR NOT.

For the people around you, what’s important is you also pay them back promptly AND completely.

What Do I Do If I’m an Identity Theft Victim?

I highly suggest you REPORT IT IMMEDIATELY.

A victim of identity theft should act on the following as fast as possible:

• File a police report. This will immediately alert the authorities that ANY fraudulent action using a specific account is NOT made by you. Often times, this precaution protects and insures you of future expenses in court should it matter.
• Get copies of the police report. You might need to present these to your insurance agencies, medical providers, credit bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, etc.
• Likewise, file an identity theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission
• Place a FREEZE OR FRAUD ALERT on your credit reports
• Contact your credit managers, your banks, concerned relatives, and any related personnel as well

Why Should I Monitor My Credit?

Monitor your credit to SPOT a potential identity theft.

There is NO such thing as monitoring your accounts too much. The way I see it, it’s ALWAYS better to review your personal information and credit scores regularly.

Why is that so?

• You should be the FIRST PERSON to know about your credit report… much more if said credit report is being used for fraudulent accounts
• The only way to improve your credit scores is to ACTUALLY know about your credit report

Credit monitoring increases the chances of you DETECTING inaccuracies and potential identity fraud on your credit reports free of charge.

Conclusion

No one is safe from identity theft.

Yes, these frauds can easily affect your finances and tax return… but perhaps even more than LOWERING your credit reports, you should be wary because of the other dangers associated with such frauds. Most notably:

• Medical identity theft endangers your future medical insurances AND access to medical services you are aptly eligible for.
• You shouldn’t also be too complacent as thieves have EVOLVED into synthetic identity theft.
• Learn more about what you can do to prevent identity theft happing to you

So again, no credit report is safe… more importantly, NO ONE is safe from identity theft.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

What Is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is the crime of obtaining the personal or financial information of another person to use their identity to commit fraud, such as making unauthorized transactions or purchases. Identity theft is committed in many different ways and its victims are typically left with damage to their credit, finances, and reputation.

Understanding Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information—such as your Social Security Number, bank account number, and credit card information. Identity theft can be committed in many different ways. Some identity thieves sift through trash bins looking for bank account and credit card statements.

More high-tech methods involve accessing corporate databases to steal lists of customer information. Once identity thieves have the information they are looking for, they can ruin a person’s credit rating and the standing of other personal information.

Identity thieves increasingly use computer technology to obtain other people’s personal information for identity fraud. To find such information, they may search the hard drives of stolen or discarded computers; hack into computers or computer networks; access computer-based public records; use information-gathering malware to infect computers; browse social networking sites; or use deceptive emails or text messages.

Types of Identity Theft

There are several types of identity theft including:

Financial Identity Theft

In financial identity theft, someone uses another person’s identity or information to obtain credit, goods, services, or benefits. This is the most common form of identity theft.

Social Security Identity Theft

If identity thieves obtain your Social Security Number, they can use it to apply for credit cards and loans and then not pay outstanding balances. Fraudsters can also use your number to receive medical, disability, and other benefits.

Medical Identity Theft

In medical identity theft, someone poses as another person to obtain free medical care. 

Synthetic Identity Theft

Synthetic identity theft is a type of fraud in which a criminal combines real (usually stolen) and fake information to create a new identity, which is used to open fraudulent accounts and make fraudulent purchases. Synthetic identity theft allows the criminal to steal money from any credit card companies or lenders who extend credit based on the fake identity.

Child Identity Theft

In child identity theft, someone uses a child’s identity for various forms of personal gain. This is common, as children typically do not have information associated with them that could pose obstacles for the perpetrator.

The fraudster may use the child’s name and Social Security Number to obtain a residence, find employment, obtain loans, or avoid arrest on outstanding warrants. Often, the victim is a family member, the child of a friend, or someone else close to the perpetrator. Some people even steal the personal information of deceased loved ones.

Tax Identity Theft

Tax identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information, including your Social Security Number, to file a bogus state or federal tax return in your name and collect a refund.

Criminal Identity Theft

In criminal identity theft, a criminal poses as another person during an arrest to try to avoid a summons, prevent the discovery of a warrant issued in their real name or avoid an arrest or conviction record.

Warning Signs of Identity Theft

It can be difficult to know if you’ve been a victim of identity theft, especially if you’re not always checking your financial statements.

Some clear indicators of identity theft include bills for items that you didn’t buy; these can be seen on your credit card or received via email or other means, calls from debt collectors regarding accounts that you didn’t open, and your loan applications being denied when you believed your credit is in good standing.

Other warning signs include bounced checks, a warrant for your arrest, unexplainable medical bills, utilities being shut off, inability to sign into accounts, hard inquiries into your credit report not caused by your actions, and new credit cards in your name that you didn’t apply for.

Potential Victims of Identity Theft

Anyone can be a victim of identity theft. Children and aging adults are particularly vulnerable to identity theft as they may not understand specific situations, bills, and their care and finances are handled by others.

Children may be victims of identity theft but not aware of it until they are adults. Seniors often provide a lot of information to hospitals, caregivers, and doctor’s officers, where information can be obtained by those seeking to commit fraud.

Identity Theft Protection

Many types of identity theft can be prevented. One way is to continually check the accuracy of personal documents and promptly deal with any discrepancies.

There are several identity theft protection services that help people avoid and mitigate the effects of identity theft. Typically, such services provide information helping people to safeguard their personal information; monitor public records and private records, such as credit reports, to alert their clients of certain transactions and status changes; and provide assistance to victims to help them resolve problems associated with identity theft.

In addition, some government agencies and nonprofit organizations provide similar assistance, typically with websites that have information and tools to help people avoid, remedy, and report incidents of identity theft. Many of the best credit monitoring services also provide identity protection tools and services.

Recovering From Identity Theft

Managing identity theft can be a painstaking and long process. Once you have determined that you have been a victim of identity theft and filed a report with the FTC, there are other steps that you need to take.

You can start by placing fraud alerts on all of your credit reports as well as freezing your credit reports. Fraud alerts are an added layer of protection in that lenders must confirm your identity before opening an account, usually via phone. Freezing your reports prevents access to any credit information. Your credit report is removed from circulation so that a lender will not have access to it. If they don’t have access to your report, they cannot open an account in your name.

Once you’ve managed the above, you need to contact all of the companies involved. Demonstrate to companies that you are a victim of identity theft, that you did not open these accounts, and that your accounts should be frozen.

You can demonstrate that you are a victim of fraud by filing complaints, disputing charges, and showing any other reports you have filed, such as police reports or reports with the FTC. The Fair Credit Billing Act and the Electronic Funds Transfer Act work in your favor. You must also dispute any incorrect charges and information on your credit reports as well.

This should be done once you have the report that you filed with the FTC. Banks and credit card companies should close your old cards and send you new ones, and you should change all of your login and password information.

From there, continue monitoring your reports to ensure that your information is no longer available for thieves to use.

The Bottom Line

Identity theft is a traumatic and difficult experience and can severely damage your creditworthiness and leave you with bills that you did not incur. It’s important to always monitor your bank and credit card statements as well as your credit report for any signs of fraud.

If you have detected that you are a victim of fraud, there are ways to dispute the charges, fix the theft, and stop your information from being available to thieves. The government provides many resources to help you get back to a good credit standing.