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You may not know this, but there are a variety of types of identity theft and there are more uses for your identity than just financial fraud. If a fraudster is entangled with law enforcement, they could engage in criminal identity theft by using your identity instead of theirs for the criminal record, landing you in a lot of trouble.
Whether through malware, mail theft, or even a suspicious text from an unrecognized phone number, scammers are always trying to access our personal information. If you know the steps to take (and which identity theft protection to get), you can avoid becoming a victim or at least be able to clear your name even after an arrest warrant is issued.
You may be wondering how identity theft differs from criminal identity theft. It’s a little confusing because all identity theft is illegal. Criminal identity theft occurs when someone is arrested and uses a fake name and information. That creates a criminal record for the wrong person, which could be devastating if you’re the one on the receiving end of the fraud.
This could result in serious consequences for the victim of the fraud ranging anywhere from trouble with law enforcement agencies to an inability to get a job. Not to mention, having a criminal record could make the punishment for any subsequent crimes more severe.
Think about if you’ve gotten pulled over for speeding and you know it’s your first offense. You’re going to try to talk your way into leniency, but the officer sees a record for you. Now you’re not only getting a ticket, but depending on the prior crime, you could be heading to jail.
There are so many ways to have your identity stolen. In the days before the internet, identity theft was mostly manual through the theft of wallets, financial records, medical records, mail, or other personal information that was written down. Today, there are accurate and complete records of all of us online, whether we want them there or not.
While the old methods are still valid, the most common types of theft are data breaches, phishing scams, and purchasing information from data brokers. This is why stopping online trackers and working to delete our info from data brokers is such a serious thing that many people don’t think of normally.
Ways data can be stolen:
You may be lucky and never end up the victim of identity theft. Or you may be one of the unfortunate few who end up in this situation fighting criminal identity fraud. Hopefully, you’re the former. But there likely are warning signs if you’re the latter, which may help you catch it early and restore your good name.
Some of the red flags to keep in mind are:
The idea of being a victim of criminal identity theft is scary. It can have real-world repercussions that could take years and a lot of money to resolve. Criminal identity theft can impact your life and freedom as well as your finances and credit. It’s definitely not something to take lightly. But there are a series of protections in place that can help you restore your identity and reputation.
If you find you’re a victim of this particular type of fraud, you can take these steps:
The best offense is a good defense — so the best way to protect yourself is to sign up for an identity theft protection service. While you can monitor all of the above red flags on your own, you’re bound to miss one or just get tired of spending so much time and energy keeping yourself safe. Some identity theft protection services are pricey, but there are others that are affordable and even offer identity theft insurance to help with missing funds, attorney fees, and other expenses.
Other ways to protect yourself:
If you’re going to subscribe to an identity theft protection service, you should absolutely make sure it’s one of the best ID theft protection services available. We’ve tested and reviewed each of these and can report that they are all quality services. Depending on the number of people you need to cover and the extra features you want, one may be right for you too.
Criminals can obtain a new identity in a variety of ways. Mail theft, while it may seem more annoying than harmful, is still a large contributor to identity theft.
Data breaches we hear about in the news are another huge contributor. That data is either used by the thief, which is less likely, or sold either to a data broker or on the dark web. Identity thieves can then purchase your personal information, sometimes legally, through one of these methods.
According to the Department of Justice for the State of California, criminal identity theft is rare, but it does occur. If it does happen, it can lead to many problems for the fraud victim. If you’re a victim, you may end up in court to have a judge clear your name. If you suspect criminal identity theft has happened to you, it’s best to contact an attorney and know your state’s laws regarding victims of criminal identity fraud.
Most known cases of identity theft occur because of data breaches. Most people gloss over news reports of data theft, data sales, and other methods of sharing data, but they’re the single biggest contributor to identity theft.
If you get a notice of a data breach, make sure to change your passwords and resecure your accounts. It may take some time, but it’ll be less time than what you’ll spend repairing your identity after it’s been stolen.
While criminal identity theft is rare, it’s still part of the larger identity theft problem fueled by data theft. Whether the data is stolen through mail theft or by a hacker executing a successful data breach, it’s still a violation of your privacy. You can use several methods to reduce your risk, but it’s likely all of your information is already available on data broker sites and the dark web. The best way to protect yourself is by using an identity theft protection service.
The best identity theft protection services will provide you with alerts so you can get ahead of any issues that may arise. You’ll also receive identity theft insurance and remediation services. It’s completely possible to do all of this on your own, but having a service made for these situations will save you so much time, energy, money, and sanity. You can help yourself by keeping secure passwords on all your accounts, educating yourself on what phishing attempts look like, and being the guardian of your own data.
Excellent identity theft protection service
Includes a password manager and VPN
Robust tools for children’s security
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