Define Identity Theft

When people are asked to define identity theft, they usually imagine a thief opening a credit card in someone else’s name and charging an extravagant purchase, such as a vacation or a boat. However, that is only one aspect of the crime. There are many variants.

Learn the facts of identity thief

The Federal Trade Commission chooses to define identity theft as “a fraud that is committed or attempted using a person’s identifying information without authority.” What this means is that identity theft could be anything from the previously mentioned credit card example to using someone else’s Social Security to try to save on taxes. Identity theft crimes are often categorized into five types to help both consumers and law enforcement. These five types are:

1. Credit card identity theft
2. Medical identity theft
3. Social Security number identity theft
4. Driver's license identity theft
5. Criminal identity theft

This type of identity theft is the easiest for criminals to accomplish. This is because plastic is the main staple for online shopping and because consumers hand over their credit cards when completing transactions in stores and restaurants. The identity thief either takes over the existing credit card and charges up the balance or uses information garnered from the credit card to open a new account. Oftentimes, the thief will change the address on the account so he or she has more time to use it before the victim notices anything is awry.

Medical identity theft occurs when a thief uses the victim’s personal information to obtain medical treatment, such as tests, doctor visits or even hospital stays. He or she does this to take advantage of insurance coverage or to keep certain illness, such as HIV, off of his or her record. This can have serious consequences for the victim since he or she can end up with false information in his or her medical file which could lead to misdiagnoses and mistakes in future treatment.

Instead of just creating new credit accounts, an identity thief can basically create a whole new life if he or she gets her hands on a name and Social Security number. When they commit this crime, the thieves can often obtain driver’s licenses, identity cards and even passports. Social Security identity theft is particularly controversial as it relates to immigration. This is because many illegal immigrants buy or “create” Social Security numbers when they first settle in the United States. Unfortunately, they sometimes turn out to be real Social Security numbers already in use, which ties the immigrants’ tax information to someone they don’t even know exists.

This type of identity theft is pretty self-explanatory. A thief takes the victim’s driver’s license and passes it off as his or her own. He or she can present it when in a car accident or pulled over for a traffic violation and can also use the information it contains, specifically the name, age, birth date and card number, to try to obtain credit accounts, including cell phone contracts, gym memberships and cable service. If the thief looks nothing like the victim, he or she may try to inlay a new photo over the old one.

As implied by the name, this is when thieves use identity theft to help them get away with crimes. Sometimes it’s as easy as giving the police a false name when they’re arrested. Other times, they use the fake identification they’ve created after committing another type of identity theft. The worst part about this type of identity theft is that it can be hard for the victim to clear his or her name without a good alibi and lawyer. After all, police officers are used to people saying they are innocent of crimes when they aren’t.

Instead of being afraid of identity theft, consumers should instead stay educated on prevention. Knowing how to define identity theft is only the first step. They also need to read up on identity theft's causes and tactics for prevention.

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