What is Criminal Identity Theft and How to Prevent it?

Criminal identity theft is a pervasive and insidious form of fraud that can wreak havoc on an individual's life. The perpetrators of criminal identity theft are often skilled individuals who exploit vulnerabilities in the system.

These can include professional identity thieves, cybercriminals, and even individuals with personal relationships with the victim.

Criminal identity theft involves the fraudulent use of someone else's identity to commit crimes or deceive authorities.

Unlike financial identity theft, which focuses on monetary gain, criminal identity theft aims to mask the perpetrator's true identity, deflecting legal repercussions and creating a false trail.

Criminal identity theft can have severe consequences, potentially tarnishing the victim's criminal record and leading to undeserved legal troubles.

Criminal Identity Theft can happen in different ways, and criminals can use identity to commit these six types of theft: 

• Telephone Calling: Individuals can use stolen identities to make illegal calls, manipulate phone records, and pose as someone else to trick other people, which could lead to legal repercussions for the victim.
  
• Withdrawals from the Bank: Perpetrators gain access to the victim's bank accounts, making unauthorised withdrawals or engaging in fraudulent transactions. This type of identity theft can result in significant financial losses for the victim.
  
• Selling Illegal Items: Criminals may use the victim's identity to engage in the illegal sale of goods including drugs or services like smuggling, creating a trail of criminal activity that authorities may wrongfully associate with the victim.
  
• Criminal Impersonation: This involves assuming the identity of the victim for various criminal activities, including interactions with law enforcement, creating a false narrative that can lead to legal consequences for the innocent party.
  
• Fake Passport Fraud: Identity thieves may create counterfeit passports using the victim's information, allowing them to move across borders undetected and engage in criminal activities without leaving a trace in a particular country.
  
• Cybercrime Fraud: In the digital age, criminals use stolen identities to commit various forms of cybercrime, including hacking, phishing, dark web, and other fraudulent activities conducted online.
  

Understanding how these causes lead criminals to gain access to personal information helps in safeguarding against such thefts:

• Phishing: Criminals may send you an email or text message that appears to be from a legitimate source. They may ask you to provide personal information, such as your Aadhar card number or account password.
  
• Data Breaches: Large-scale data breaches, often targeting businesses or government agencies, can result in the exposure of vast amounts of personal information. Criminals exploit these breaches to steal identities on a massive scale.
  
• Lost Wallet & Documents: Physical theft of personal belongings, such as wallets or identification documents, provides criminals with the means to assume someone else's identity and commit some serious crimes.
  
• Dumpster Diving: By rummaging through trash bins, identity thieves can find discarded documents containing valuable personal information, enabling them to commit various forms of fraud.
  
• Imposter Scams: Criminals may pose as trusted individuals, such as government officials or service providers, to trick victims into divulging personal information, providing important documents or sending money.
  
• Shoulder Surfing: This low-tech method involves criminals physically observing individuals as they enter passwords or other sensitive information, allowing them to use this information for criminal purposes later.

By following these six tips, you can protect yourself from criminal identity theft:

• Protect Identity Proof Documents: Securely store all important documents like passports, licenses, and IDs.
  
• Don't Share Personal Information: Be cautious about revealing personal details online or over the phone. 
  
• Beware in Public Places: Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions, and be mindful of your surroundings.
  
• Monitor Credit Report: Regularly check credit reports for any suspicious activity or accounts opened without your knowledge.
  
• Shred Important Documents: Destroy any documents containing personal information before discarding them.
  
• Use Unique Passwords: Use strong, unique passwords for all online accounts and avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.
  

While quantifying the true extent of criminal identity theft remains a challenge, it's a growing concern in today's interconnected world. Preventing criminal identity theft requires awareness, proactive measures, and vigilant monitoring. Educating individuals and implementing preventive measures can mitigate the detrimental impact of identity theft.