Criminal Identity Theft

This is the second most common type of identity theft and most people aren't even aware of it.

   In this case, a criminal uses your information during encounters with the police. For example, a thief who has your identifying information gets arrested for a crime and gives them your name and social security number. One day you are driving along and get stopped for a traffic infraction.

  The cop runs your name through their database and finds out you just committed a bank robbery in another state. Suddenly you are being hauled off to jail for something you didn't even do!

   Never mind how stressful and embarrassing this mistake could be, it can also lead to an erroneous criminal record, outstanding arrest warrants, and possible consequences such as being fired from your job for not disclosing a conviction and even get you thrown in jail.

   What if this happens on a Friday night and they toss you the local jail overnight? Do you have someone you can call that could bail you out? Can you afford this kind of mistake happen in your life?

   The results of this kind of criminal identity theft could include a negative impact on future employment, loss of security clearance, lost jobs and higher insurance premiums. It is the most difficult type of ID theft to clear up and in some cases, almost impossible.

   Some victims have been reduced to carrying court documentation with them at all times to prove who they really are and not the actual criminal.

Social Security Identity Theft

 If someone uses your social security number to get a job and they have a continuous work record, guess who gets to pay the tax bill? The answer is you. There are cases where someone's social security number was used a total of 37 times by different people. In the employment screening business, we see this happen every day.

Medical Identity Theft

  This kind of ID theft involves someone using your health insurance for medical and/or hospital care. The result is a mixed up medical record that could result in potentially deadly consequences. For example, what would happen if someone used your identification and health insurance number and got an HIV test that proved positive?

  Now all of a sudden, that record is attached to your medical records and every time you see a healthcare person, they think you have aids. In addition, this can seriously impact your ability to get insurance and it can result in significantly higher insurance premiums.

  A recent article in the November 2006 issues of Reader's Digest reported that “fraud is estimated to account for as much as ten percent of all health care costs … including medical identity theft.” “An insurance card is like a Visa card with a $1 million spending limit,” says Byron Hollis, national anti-fraud director of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

  The most frightening part of this article is the fact that organized crime rings are realizing how lucrative identity theft is and are adding a new dimension to the problem.

Driver's License Identity Theft

  Our driver's license is the standard and most often used form of identification in United States. ID thieves are professionals at creating fake driver's licenses that are virtually impossible to detect. Having this form of picture ID opens the door to numerous other types of ID theft.

  On October 28, 2006 in California, a worker at the Santa Ana DMV was arrested for her alleged role in an ID theft scheme that used applicant information to create fraudulent licenses.

  The indictment alleged that she used her position to sell fraudulent drivers licenses to co-schemers who paid between $1,500 to $5,000 for each fraudulent license. She allegedly obtained the identifications of victims from the DMV database and changed their address and identifiers to match the fraudulent purchaser who then had a new DMV photo taken.