What is Identity Theft?
August 2nd, 2007 | by HelpingU |Identity Theft is a general term for crime which involves the illegal use of another individual’s public identity. The most common form of identity theft being credit card fraud in which a victim’s credit card number is used by a criminal to make fraudulent purchases or fraudulently access a victim’s bank account. According to the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center, identity theft is sub-divided into four categories:
- Financial Identity Theft (using another’s name and other identifying information to obtain goods and services)
- Criminal Identity Theft (posing as another when apprehended for a crime)
- Identity Cloning (using another’s information to assume his or her identity in daily life)
- Business/Commercial Identity Theft (using another’s business name to obtain credit)
Related crimes include illegal immigration, terrorism and espionage. Identity theft may also be a means of blackmail. There are also cases of identity cloning to attack payment systems, such as obtaining medical treatment. While the term “Identity Theft” is relatively new, the practice of stealing money or getting other benefits by pretending to be a different person goes back to the dawn of mankind. Conusmers are recommended to monitor their credit reports and credit rating for early detection and prevention of Identity Theft related credit card fraud.
One Response to “What is Identity Theft?”
By Kathryn on Oct 3, 2007 | Reply
My daughter had a problem with her identity being stolen by her ex-husband and the police didn’t think it was worth making a criminal case against him. The law enforcment takes this type of theft lightly but it should be strongly enforced.