Some people even steal the personal information of deceased loves ones. 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. 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. 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. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, start by going to IdentityTheft. It provides directions on how to help you recover your identity and repair any damage you have experienced. There are several identify 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. Social Security. Financial Fraud. Income Tax. Identity Theft. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.
We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Your Money. Personal Finance. Your Practice. Popular Courses. Financial Fraud Identity Theft. What Is Identity Theft? Key Takeaways Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and credentials to commit fraud. Identity theft is not limited to a single type of criminal.
There are sophisticated operations worldwide who specialize in taking advantage of every opportunity, while petty criminals looking for quick cash may also give identity theft a try. Unfortunately, in many reported identity theft cases co-workers, friends, employees, neighbors and family members see an opportunity to commit identity theft and take advantage. The below chart shows all the different types of information that makes up your identity.
It just takes one piece of information falling into the wrong hands to become a victim of identity theft. Take the time to inventory your relationships with companies, organizations and individuals your trust with your personally identifiable information or PII.
See how your identity is a PII Chart or a picture of relationships you have created. Once you visualize the slices of your PII, managing your identity becomes easier. Menu 0. Login To My Account. Thieves after your identity do this in many different ways: Dumpster Diving for Personal Information While not the most modest of identity theft techniques, intrepid thieves will rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
Skimming for Personal Information Skimming is an all-too common identity theft technique in which thieves will attach a small often undetectable device on a payment reader to skim your personal information. This legislation created a new offense of identity theft, which prohibits "knowingly transfer[ring] or us[ing], without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of Federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable State or local law.
This offense, in most circumstances, carries a maximum term of 15 years' imprisonment, a fine, and criminal forfeiture of any personal property used or intended to be used to commit the offense. Schemes to commit identity theft or fraud may also involve violations of other statutes such as identification fraud 18 U.
Federal prosecutors work with federal investigative agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the United States Secret Service , and the United States Postal Inspection Service to prosecute identity theft and fraud cases.
In public places, for example, criminals may engage in "shoulder surfing"— watching you from a nearby location as you punch in your telephone calling card number or credit card number — or listen in on your conversation if you give your credit-card number over the telephone. If you receive applications for "pre-approved" credit cards in the mail, but discard them without tearing up the enclosed materials, criminals may retrieve them and try to activate the cards for their use without your knowledge.
Also, if your mail is delivered to a place where others have ready access to it, criminals may simply intercept and redirect your mail to another location. Many people respond to "spam"— unsolicited E-mail — that promises them some benefit but requests identifying data, without realizing that in many cases, the requester has no intention of keeping his promise. In some cases, criminals reportedly have used computer technology to steal large amounts of personal data. For example: False applications for loans and credit cards, Fraudulent withdrawals from bank accounts, Fraudulent use of telephone calling cards or online accounts, or Obtaining other goods or privileges which the criminal might be denied if he were to use his real name What Can You Do If You've Become a Victim of Identity Theft?
Call the fraud department. Explain that someone stole your identity. Ask them to close or freeze the accounts.
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