One of the fastest growing crimes in the world is identity theft. Thieves have become more and more innovative over the years, but some of the easiest crimes to commit are identity theft crimes. Even with guidelines becoming more stringent for acquiring state issued identity cards and driver’s licenses, thieves are still able to get their hands on enough personal information to steal a person’s identity.
Victims often don’t think twice about throwing away things like unsolicited credit card offers, bank statements, etc. Before they know it, their bank accounts are drained, or they apply for an auto loan and are suddenly turned down. Identity theft can have terrible, long-lasting effects on a person’s life. It can leave permanent scars on credit, destroy families and friendships, and even leave a person with a criminal background which cannot be eliminated.
Because identity theft is hard to prosecute, it is attractive to criminals. Once they are able to obtain enough information about a victim to assume their identities, they can open up multiple lines of credit. They can purchase homes, cars, clothing, you name it, under somebody else’s identity. And then once the bills start to arrive, the thief will then drop the identity, leaving the real person responsible for thousands of dollars worth of debt.
Sometimes people use false identities when they are involved with other criminal activity. A victim can end up with a false criminal record because somebody else has assumed their identity. A criminal background can have permanent effects on a victim’s life. It can prevent a victim from obtaining a job, an apartment, or even lines of credit. Even if the victim is able to prove he is not a criminal, an arrest record is permanent in many cases. A basic criminal background check in most states will pull an arrest record, and it can become difficult to explain to potential employers that it was a case of identity theft.
Identity theft also leaves long-lasting scars on a person’s credit report. Clearing up identity theft from a person’s credit report is a long, difficult, tedious task. Identity theft associated with a social security number is even more difficult. A person is only allowed one social security number in his lifetime. Even if a person’s identity is stolen, he cannot be issued another social security number. It is difficult to prove to the credit bureaus that identity theft has occurred, and therefore, a person’s credit can reflect fraudulent charges and accounts for years. It can prevent a person from obtaining a home, a car, or even a job. Identity theft is a horrible crime.
Unfortunately, it is one of the fastest growing crimes in today’s society. With careful protection of personal information, we can help lower the cases of identity theft. We can be sure to shred personal and important documents, and be sure to regularly change passwords and clear private data from wireless networks. Hopefully in the future there will be easier ways to identify those who are responsible for identity theft. Until then, we all need to be more careful with our own personal information.
