Criminals find several different ways to rob other people. For example, a thief might steal a car or cash and other items someone has on their person. They could break into a house and steal things as well. There is another way that criminals now steal that has a unique aspect to it.

This refers to criminal identity theft. When a thief steals, not possessions, but a person’s identity itself, the crime is called criminal identity theft. Understanding just how thieves go about stealing someone’s identity and what tactics they use is very important. Doing so will help you keep yourself from becoming a victim of criminal identity theft.

What Is Criminal Identity Theft?

Criminal identity theft is the action of a criminal assuming a different person’s identity so that they may act as if they were them. The individuals who have their identities stolen and thereby become victims of criminal identity theft have to face serious consequences.

Such consequences include a negative effect on finances, credit ratings, legal matters, employment opportunities, and the like. Unfortunately, anything and everything that a criminal does while using a stolen identity will ultimately affect the victim, be it negative or positive.

To make matters worse, unless the thief involved does something illegal beyond simply assuming someone else’s identity, criminal identity theft is not usually noticed by the victim. Since criminals could be using credit cards and taking part in other financial activities, their actions can bring negative results to the clueless victim if and when the criminal uses the stolen identity and later defaults on financial agreements that were made.

If the above mentioned incidents occur, very sadly, in order for a victim of criminal identity theft to clean their name and credit after having had their identity stolen from them, they must deal with a difficult legal process.

Protective Steps

To minimize the possibilities of criminal identity theft there are a number of steps that an individual should take. First of all, it is imperative that the social security card or social security number never be carried with an individual.

Also, if you lose your wallet or purse along with any identification, make sure you report your loss to the authorities. In addition, if the driver’s license is lost it is important to notify the local Department of Motor Vehicles.

In addition, it is a good idea to have your credit report checked at least yearly. However, if you feel that criminal identity theft may be a possibility with the loss of sensitive information, enroll in a fraud alert service. This service will notify you right away of any activity that involves your identity and application of any new credit accounts.

With all of the recent news attention on the subject of identity theft, it is no wonder that there have been multiple articles on the subject springing up on the Internet. Many of these identity theft articles provide readers with a lot of valuable information. However, consumers should be aware that many identity theft articles out there use scare tactics to get consumers to buy products they are selling. These articles can be easy to spot if you know what you are looking for.

Look Out

There are a few things that consumers can watch for when reading identity theft articles to ascertain whether or not the article they are viewing is a true informational article or whether it is nothing more than a glorified sales copy. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when reading these kinds of articles:

#1: Is this article suggesting that I buy something?

If the answer to this is yes, be careful. Many companies will use seemingly informational articles to push their own products. The article might continually refer to one source or talk about a product. If the article repeats the need for one product over and over without suggesting many alternatives, then it may be sales-oriented and the information contained within it may be skewed.

#2: Does the article portray identity theft information accurately?

Look at many sources for accurate identity theft information. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an excellent source for accurate, up-to-date information on the topic of identity theft.

#3: Does the article try to create concern or panic within the reader?

If the article suggests (or seems to suggest) that the reader must purchase this product or they will likely fall victim to identity theft, it is likely a sales pitch. If they repeat terrible identity theft statistics, or mention something to the effect of “Mr. X had to pay $15,000 to get his life back after he was a victim of identity theft, don’t let this happen to you!”, then it is likely the article is not worth your time.

Identity theft is an important issue to understand, but be sure you are able to distinguish informative articles on the topic from sales pitches.