what is identity theft 
identity theft is the crime of using the personal or financial information of another person to commit fraud such as making unauthorized transactions or purchases identity theft is committed in many different ways and its victims are typically left with damage to their credit finances and reputation understanding identity theftidentity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information such as your social security number bank account number and credit card information thieves can attempt to obtain your personal information in various ways for instance some sift through trash bins looking for bank account and credit card statements identity thieves increasingly use computer technology to obtain other people s personal information for identity fraud to find such information they may search the hard drives of stolen or discarded computers hack into computers or computer networks of organizations and corporations access computer based public records use information gathering malware to infect computers browse social networking sites or use deceptive emails or text messages 1once identity thieves have the information they are looking for they can ruin a person s credit rating and the standing of other personal information 1victims of identity theft often do not know their identity has been stolen until they begin receiving calls from creditors or are turned down for a loan because of a bad credit score types of identity theftthere are several types of identity theft including financial identity theft occurs when someone uses another person s identity or information to obtain credit goods services or benefits this is the most common form of identity theft 2if identity thieves obtain your social security number they can use it to apply for credit cards and loans and then not pay outstanding balances fraudsters can also use your number to receive medical disability and other benefits 3in medical identity theft someone poses as another person to obtain free medical care 1 synthetic identity theft is a type of fraud in which a criminal combines real usually stolen and fake information to create a new identity this new identity is used to open fraudulent accounts and make fraudulent purchases synthetic identity theft allows the criminal to steal money from credit card companies and lenders who extend them credit based on the fake identity 1child and teen identity theft involves using a child s identity for various forms of personal gain this is common as children typically do not have the capability to take steps to create obstacles for the perpetrator the fraudster may use the child s name and social security number to obtain a residence find employment obtain loans or avoid arrest on outstanding warrants often the victim is a family member the child of a friend or someone else close to the perpetrator some people even steal the personal information of deceased loved ones 1tax 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 1in 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 2examples of identity theftit can be difficult to know if you ve been a victim of identity theft especially if you don t check your financial statements regularly some clear indicators of identity theft include potential victims of identity theftanyone can be a victim of identity theft however children and aging adults are particularly vulnerable they may not understand specific situations or paperwork such as bills in addition their care and finances often are handled by others who normally may not inform them of details or regularly check their accounts children who are victims of identity theft may not become aware of it until they are adults adults who need medical care often have to provide a lot of personal information repeatedly to hospitals clinics caregiving agencies and doctor s officers as a result this information can be sought and obtained nefariously from a variety of locations if you believe you are a victim of identity theft immediately visit identitytheft gov a website administered by the federal trade commission ftc it provides directions to help you recover your identity and repair damage you may have experienced identity theft protectionmany types of identity theft can be prevented or limited one way to protect yourself is to continually check the accuracy of personal documents and promptly deal with any discrepancies 4there are several identity theft protection services that help people avoid or mitigate the effects of identity theft typically such services help in addition some government agencies and nonprofit organizations provide similar assistance typically through websites that offer information and tools to help people avoid remedy and report incidents of identity theft 4many of the best credit monitoring services also provide identity protection tools and services 4recovering from identity theftmanaging identity theft can be a long painstaking process after you have filed and retained a copy of your report with the ftc there are other steps that you need to take 