Types of Identity Theft

Identity theft, like the criminals that perpetrate it, is a varied crime. There was a time when stealing someone's identity was accomplished as a matter of genuine, physical theft of identification such as in a wallet. Today, however, the technology and vast amounts of information prevalent and available in American society make it possible for identity thieves to do their work in a wide variety of ways, usually without ever having met their victim(s).

Identity theft happens for various reasons - sometimes it's financial, but often it is for other, less nefarious purposes. Here are some of the types of identity theft prevalent today. Keep in mind, that although some of these may seem somewhat innocuous, all of them are illegal and prosecutable under state and federal laws.

• Criminal Identity Theft: All identity theft is criminal, but there is a certain type of identity theft that can be particularly frightening and devastating for its victim. Criminal identity theft happens when a person commits a crime under the guise of another. Once the criminal is (falsely) identified as you, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. Victims of this crime usually find out they are victims when they are having handcuffs slapped on them and having their rights read to them for a crime they didn't commit.
• Financial Identity Theft: When people think of identity theft, financial identity theft is probably what they envision - the stealing of credit cards or bank account numbers in order to go on a shopping spree with someone else's money or credit. Very common, the wary individual will also find this type of identity theft the easiest to detect and stop before it gets too bad. Unfortunately, most people are too busy to pay attention to the signs that signal this type of identity theft until it is long over.
• Employment Identity Theft: Employment identity theft may be the most common and prevalent of all identity thefts. It is also regarded as being the most innocuous, since there is usually no malicious intent involved on the part of the identity thief. This happens when a person assumes someone else's identity, social security number and name for the purposes of securing employment.
• Medical Identity Theft: This type of identity theft occurs when someone tries to get medical benefits under the guise of being someone else. Most often this happens in emergency room situations when a false social security number and name will be given to the billing official after services have been performed.
• Familial Identity Theft: A very common type of identity theft occurs in families when a parent or guardian uses the social security number or identity of one of their children in order to obtain a service such as for a utility or a credit card offer that may have inadvertently been sent to the minor. Many parents mistakenly believe that giving their child's social security number to the electric company is no big deal, but it is a federal crime.

All of these types of identity theft and others can be detected and prevented by a competent identity theft protection service. Don't wait until it's too late and you've already been attacked by an identity thief - sign up for protection today.