It may seem strange or odd to some people that there are different types of identity theft; after all, you only have one identity, right?  But in reality there are different ways that thieves and dishonest persons use your identity and different things they are trying to accomplish when they commit identity theft, which leads to different variations of this crime.  Let’s explore those here so that you can better understand the need to protect yourself.

Most people are aware of the most common form of identity theft, where someone uses someone else’s social security number or credit history to establish their own accounts and charge cards.  This means that they’re out charging things but the bills go to you and wind up on your credit report.  Some who commit this type of identity theft actually go so far so as to establish a separate identity that allows them to rent houses, lease cars, and spend tens of thousands of dollars before the situation is caught and corrected.

identity cloning is a type of identity theft wherein the thief actually pretends to be you.  They don’t just open accounts with your social security number or add another card to your credit account by they actually get identification in your name and use that as their own driver’s license and so on.  This can be a very dangerous type of crime because people who do this are usually in trouble themselves and so don’t want anyone to know their own identity; this might include those evading the law, potential terrorists, illegal immigrants, and so on.  Another type of identity theft that is close to this is medical identity theft; this is when someone pretends to be someone else in order to get medical treatment or attention.  This might include insurance fraud or theft or might be done because the person is trying to get medical attention they shouldn’t have, such as painkillers and the like.

Criminal identity theft is also dangerous and happens quite often.  When someone is arrested and the police don’t have immediate access to their identification the person arrested may offer someone else’s name and address as their own.  They may be trying to avoid being found out because of past crimes or for some other reason.  Unfortunately this type of identity theft often happens with someone you know – it may be a relative or neighbor or someone else that knows you well enough to give police your name and address when arrested.

There’s no guarantee that you will never be a victim of identity theft of any sort and of course sometimes the law and law enforcement personnel are both a bit slow to catch up to these types of crimes, but if you understand the different risks then you may be better able to protect yourself.  Guard your important and sensitive information carefully and you can better avoid identity theft of any type or variation, whether it’s criminal, medical, financial, or anything else.