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Criminal Identity Theft - A Step Beyond By Nikki Greene Ask anyone who’s ever been robbed of their identity, and they’ll tell you that it typically takes years to recover from such a violation. This extremely personal crime goes far beyond using someone else’s name to make a hefty purchase at a department store. In addition to credit card charges, bank account withdrawals, social security tampering and a number of other ways in which your life would be impacted, unrelated crimes can also be committed – in your name – for which you may be held responsible. It’s pretty safe to assume that when you hear the phrase “identity theft,” you’ll know immediately what’s being discussed. Not many folks, however, are aware that criminal identity theft takes this type of crime a step beyond simply racking up charges on someone else’s credit cards. In fact, criminal identity theft is the term used when an individual poses as someone else when confronted by a law enforcement officer. In other words, if someone – who has taken on your identity – is arrested or approached in any way by a law enforcement official and they offer some form of ID that identifies them by your name, then the line has been crossed from identity theft to criminal identity theft. By obtaining vital documents, such as a driver’s license, social security card and other legal documents in your name, they can effectively “become” you. In some cases, these individuals build a life for themselves in some other part of the world and, unless some red flag goes up on your end, you might never know it until something drastic takes places, such as an arrest warrant that’s issued in your name. Obtaining a job, buying a home, taking out a loan and every other area that you can think of will be impacted if such an event takes place. In most cases, it takes a specific set of circumstances that brings about the knowledge that criminal identity theft has been committed. Some examples of this would be the discovery that there’s a criminal record in your name that renders you ineligible for a particular job, the denial of a loan or application for a mortgage as the result of unsatisfied debts that you didn’t incur or an arrest as the result of an outstanding warrant in your name when you’re simply stopped for a routine traffic violation or safety belt check. The real tragedy here is that the burden of proof is on the victim when it comes time to clear up these issues, which can take years in the legal system and cost thousands of dollars as the judicial clock continues to count down the minutes until you’re able to prove that you are, in fact, who you claim to be and did not commit the crimes of which you’ve been accused. This particular type of criminal activity occurs more often than you might imagine and has devastated the lives of countless innocent people. If you should be the target of criminal identity theft, here are just a few of the things that you can do in order to begin the process of clearing your name within the legal system:

  • Report the misidentification to your local law enforcement agency
  • File an official impersonation report
  • Gain knowledge of the particular laws within your state regarding criminal identity theft and your rights as a victim
  • Insist that the law enforcement agency who takes the impersonation report files a copy with the authorities in the state or county where the perpetrator resides
  • Contact the Motor Vehicle Department, in the event that your license has been violated
  • Check to see if your state has any victims’ rights groups or other advocates who can help you to win your case
  • Hire an attorney that has experience with criminal identity theft
Don’t let someone ruin your good name – take the necessary steps to protect your documents and other means of identification. Otherwise, there may be an imposter out there who will be laughing all the way to the jail cell – yours. About the Author: The author grants reprint permission to all venues so long as the copyright and by-line are included intact. Copyright © 2005 Preventing Identity Theft.com All Rights Reserved. About the Author: Nikki Greene is dedicated to helping you become better informed when it comes to preventing identity theft. Sign up for her "Preventing Identity Theft Newsletter" and keep up with the latest trends, identity theft in the news, and how you can safeguard your identity: http://www.preventing-identity-theft.com/


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Utah Attorney General's Office launches program to protect children from ID theft - Dixie Press Online


Dixie Press Online

Utah Attorney General's Office launches program to protect children from ID theft
Dixie Press Online
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and TransUnion, one of the three national credit reporting companies, announced the Child Identity Protection Program (CIP), which features a secure online site through which Utah parents and guardians can register ...

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CONSUMER REPORTS: Needless ID-theft protection - WSBT-TV


CONSUMER REPORTS: Needless ID-theft protection
WSBT-TV
Consumer Reports Money Adviser says the rate of ID theft is actually declining and found the companies often overstate the risk and puff up the power of their services. Consumer Reports Money Adviser looked at nearly two dozen plans that cost $120 to ...
Consumer Reports: Needless identity theft protectionWRBL

all 3 news articles »

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Utah launches program to protect children's ID - ABC 4


Utah launches program to protect children's ID
ABC 4
However, on Tuesday the state of Utah and a private company announced a program to stop that from happening by protecting and basically freezing Social Security numbers. Five-year-old Carter Andrushko has become the poster child for identity theft in ...
Kids Get a Break From Identity ThievesMarketWatch (press release)

all 16 news articles »

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Motorola: refurb tablets shipped with former owners' data intact - Register


Motorola: refurb tablets shipped with former owners' data intact
Register
The company said it was offering former Xoom owners a free two-year membership of a local service offering protection against identity theft just in case any of the un-zapped info provides access to secure data. Change your passwords, Xoom owners who ...

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Debit-Card Pitchwoman Orman Flirts With Conflict: Susan Antilla - Bloomberg


Bloomberg

Debit-Card Pitchwoman Orman Flirts With Conflict: Susan Antilla
Bloomberg
Orman sells a $14.99-a-month identity-theft protection product called Trusted ID, which employs a decidedly consumer-unfriendly policy: Buyers must agree to use arbitration in the event of a dispute. Investment Newsletter The Money Navigator came under ...

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Consumer Reports: Beware Of Identity-Theft-Protection Offers - Hartford Courant


Consumer Reports: Beware Of Identity-Theft-Protection Offers
Hartford Courant
Almost 50 million people subscribed to some form of identity-theft protection in 2010, according to Consumer Reports Money Adviser. Those services, which cost about $120 to $300 a year, promise to protect your ID by monitoring your credit reports 24/7, ...

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