Identity theft is the fraudulent use of someones identity. The term began to be used in 1964, though it is actually a misnomer. Identity cloning, fraud or impersonation are all more accurate depictions of the actual crime.
Identity theft is a broad category of crimes. The non-profit Identity Theft Center further breaks Identity theft into five subgroups: commercial identity theft, criminal identity theft, identity cloning, financial identity theft, medical identity theft. Each of the five types differs from the others in the use to which the fraudulent identity is put. However, they are all crimes and adversely effect the victims who's identity has been compromised.
Commercial and financial identity thefts are quite similar, the only real difference between them is the nature of the information being used. With commercial, the victim's business identity is compromised and used to obtain credit, resources or services. Financial is identical except that it is the personal identity of the victim that is compromised. Both cause significant disruption and headache as the victim may be held liable for the criminals financial transactions.
Criminal Identity theft is perhaps the most stressful for the victim. The criminal fraudulently presents the victims name instead of their own, generally with supporting documents that they have illegally acquired. With the supporting evidence it can be difficult for law enforcement personnel to detect. The consequences for the victim can be quite distressing as the first clue may be a court summons or even a visit from the police at their place of work or residence. Even after the matter is resolved, it may be months or years until the various criminal databases are correctly updated.
Identity cloning is just that. The perpetrator uses the victims identity as a mask to conceal their own in every life. It is most often used by illegal immigrants, people hiding for creditors or other individuals who have a strong desire to conceal their own identity. With the proper documentation, forged or otherwise the perpetrator can go undetected for years.
Medical identity theft is quite narrowly focused on the use of another's identity to receive medical treatment or medication. Quite often it is done by criminals to gain access to controlled drugs. Perhaps the greatest danger is erroneous entries being made to the victims medic record. If not found and resolved, medical identity theft can be life-threatening as it can lead to mistakes in treatment or diagnosis due to the false information.
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