What can the thief do with my personal information?

Identity thieves can use your personal information for a number of fraudulent and serious crimes so it is very important that you safeguard key identity documents such as passports, SSN, drivers licenses and birth certificates to prevent thieves from getting hold of them.

Credit Fraud
Thieves can use even basic personal details such as your name, address and telephone number to fraudulently apply for credit accounts in your name such as new cell phone contracts, bank accounts, credit/store cards, loans and car hire agreements. Any applications made in your name for credit with legitimate lenders will be recorded on your consumer credit file, so it is important that you request copies of your file regularly and check through your own credit history carefully, as this can help you to spot any fraudulent entries. Thieves can also use stolen identities to mask their own poor credit scores when applying for credit or rental agreements, and can misappropriate the details of your existing credit cards and bank accounts to try and steal money directly from your accounts and run up fraudulently charges.

Identity Crime
Identity crime is a serious issue and has been linked to some very nasty criminals such as terrorists, drug runners and human traffickers, and fake or stolen identities can be used for a number of reasons such as:
• To mask the identity of criminals when they are arrested and charged for a crime (the charge will be recorded under a false or stolen name) and also so they can get jobs, move around the country or escape abroad undetected if they have outstanding warrants in their own names.
• To mask the identity of illegal immigrants so that they can enter the country, and also live, work, pay taxes and claim benefits once they have arrived without alerting the authorities.