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Identity theft fraud is a crime where a person obtains another's personal data and uses it without permission in a way that involves deception. Personal data is often used in criminal circumstances for monetary gain. But in some extreme cases, a person's identity has been completely stolen and crimes committed using their name.
Data
All personal data can be used in a fraudulent way, but the commonly stolen data include social security numbers, driver's license numbers, credit card numbers or bank account numbers.
Shoulder Surfing
An identity can be stolen in a simple way by a criminal listening to a telephone conversation involving personal data such as credit card numbers, or by looking over the shoulder of a person inputting personal information at a store.
Mail
Personal data is often sent via the mail. Bank statements and pre-approval for credit cards and loans are often discarded without being destroyed. Personal data are often retrieved from the trash, or intercepted from the mail before it is received by the intended recipient.
Crimes
A variety of crimes can be committed using a person's personal data, including false applications for credit and loans, bank account withdrawals, or purchasing goods in another person's name.
Legislation
In 1998 the Identity Theft & Deterrence Act was passed by congress. This made the stealing of another person's identity a federal crime carrying a 15-year prison term.
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