Criminal ID theft & Medical ID Theft Protection 101

Identity theft occurs when a thief gives another person's private and personal information such as a drivers' license, date of birth, or Social Security number (SSN) to a law enforcement officer during an investigation or upon arrest. Or the imposter may present to law enforcement a forged license containing another person's data.

Frequently, but not always, the imposter fraudulently obtained a driver's license or identification card in the victim's name and provides that identification document to law enforcement. Or the imposter, without showing any photo identification, uses the name of a friend or relative. In many cases, the imposter is cited for a traffic violation or for a misdemeanor violation and is released from the arrest. The imposter signs the citation and promises to appear in court. If the imposter does not appear in court, the magistrate may issue a bench warrant, but the warrant of arrest will be under the victim's name.

The identity theft victim may not know there is a warrant of arrest issued under his/her name. The victim may unexpectedly be detained pursuant to a routine traffic stop and then subsequently arrested and taken to county jail (booked) because of the outstanding bench warrant.

In some cases the imposter will appear in court for the traffic or misdemeanor violation and plead guilty without the victim being aware of this event. In other cases, the imposter is arrested and booked at the county jail for a felony such as a drunk driving or other serious public offense. The imposter provides the victim's name and personal information. This information is then recorded in the countywide data base and is usually transferred to the State's criminal records data base and possibly to the national data bases, the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)

Some identity theft victims, unaware of the earlier criminal activity by the imposter, may learn of the impersonation when the victim is denied employment or terminated from employment. In these cases, the employer conducted a background investigation and had relied upon the criminal history found under the victim's name. Note that the employer is legally obligated to inform the victim of the reason for the rejection of employment. (See Federal Trade Commission information about this requirement at Federal Trade Commission

Unfortunately, as with financial identity theft, the burden of clearing one's name within the criminal justice system is primarily on the victim. The victim must act quickly and assertively to minimize the damage. Yet, the responsibility to correct the erroneous data in the various criminal justice computer systems is with the officials working within the criminal justice system. There are no established procedures for clearing one's wrongful criminal record.

Ask anyone who's ever been robbed of their identity, and they'll tell you that it typically takes years to recover from such a violation. This extremely personal crime goes far beyond using someone else's name to make a hefty purchase at a department store. In addition to credit card charges, bank account withdrawals, social security tampering and a number of other ways in which your life would be impacted, unrelated crimes can also be committed - in your name - for which you may be held responsible.

It's pretty safe to assume that when you hear the phrase "identity theft," you'll know immediately what's being discussed. Not many folks, however, are aware that criminal identity theft takes this type of crime a step beyond simply racking up charges on someone else's credit cards.

How identity thieves GET
your personal information:

Identity thieves can use a variety of high/low tech means to gain access to your personal information. Here are some of the ways these imposters can get your personal information and take over your identity-

* Business Record Theft: They get your information from businesses or institutions by stealing files out of offices where you're a customer, employee, patient or student; or by bribing an employee who has access to your files; even "hacking" into the organization's computer files and sometimes they will seek employment,just to have access to your records.

* Shoulder Surfing: A "shoulder-surfing" identity thief, peers over your shoulder in a checkout line, can memorize your name, address and phone number during the short time it takes you to write a check. An identity thief can stand near a public phone and watch you punch in your phone or credit card numbers (or even listen in when you give your credit-card number over the phone for a hotel room or rental-car.)

* Trash can diving: They rummage through your garbage, and landfills for personal data.

They fraudulently obtain credit information by abusing their employer's authorized access to credit reports, or by posing as landlords, employers or others who may have a legitimate need/right to the information.

* Skimming: They steal your credit/debit card account numbers as your card is processed at a restaurant, store or other business location, using a special data collection/storage device (known as "skimmer".)

And through other forms of
old-fashioned fraud and theft... They steal wallets and steal credit cards!

* Stealing wallets and purses containing identification and credit and bank cards.

* Stealing mail, including bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks, or tax information.

* Completing a "change of address form",at the Post Office to divert your mail to another location.

* Stealing personal information from your home or auto.

* Using personal information you share on your profile on the Internet.

* Scamming information from you, often through email, by posing as legitimate companies or government agencies.

In fact, Criminal Identity Theft
is the term used when an individual poses as someone else when confronted by a law enforcement officer. In other words, if someone - who has taken on your identity - is arrested or approached in any way by a law enforcement official and they offer some form of ID that identifies them by your name, then the line has been crossed from identity theft to criminal identity theft.

By obtaining vital documents, such as a driver's license, social security card and other legal documents in your name, they can effectively "become" you. In some cases, these individuals build a life for themselves in some other part of the world and, unless some red flag goes up on your end, you might never know it until something drastic takes places, such as an arrest warrant that's issued in your name.

Obtaining a job, buying a home, taking out a loan and every other area that you can think of will be impacted if such an event takes place. In most cases, it takes a specific set of circumstances that brings about the knowledge that criminal identity theft has been committed. Some examples of this would be the discovery that there's a criminal record in your name that renders you ineligible for a particular job, the denial of a loan or application for a mortgage as the result of unsatisfied debts that you didn't incur or an arrest as the result of an outstanding warrant in your name when you're simply stopped for a routine traffic violation or safety belt check.

The real tragedy here is that the burden of proof is on the victim when it comes time to clear up these issues, which can take years in the legal system and cost thousands of dollars as the judicial clock continues to count down the minutes until you're able to prove that you are, in fact, who you claim to be and did not commit the crimes of which you've been accused. This particular type of criminal activity occurs more often than you might imagine and has devastated the lives of countless innocent people.

If you should be the target of criminal identity theft, here are just a few of the things that you can do in order to begin the process of clearing your name within the legal system:

* Report the misidentification to your local law enforcement agency

* File an official impersonation report

* Gain knowledge of the particular laws within your state regarding Criminal Identity Theft and your rights as a victim

Medical Identity Theft

You may not be as aware of medical identity theft. According to current researchers, over 255,000 cases are reported every single year. Law enforcement agencies and media sources are starting to take it more seriously and are engaging in collaborative efforts to inform potential victims. In this brief article, we'll discuss medical identity theft and give you tips on how to protect yourself.

First of all, you should understand how Medical Identity theft differs from identity theft. For instance, with identity theft, your financial information or your character information is stolen however with medical identity theft, your medical history is stolen. That is, with medical identity theft, someone uses your name or insurance information in order to obtain medical goods or services. Here are some examples:

a. A doctor that falsifies your records indicating that he provided a certain medical treatment although you did notreceive it, Your insurance company is then billed.

b. Your identity is used to obtain an expensive medical surgical procedure because they don't have their own medical coverage.

c. A medical professional calls in a prescription for you but picks it up and uses it or sells it to someone else.

d. Someone uses the information in your medical files to obtain credit.

Here are some tips that you can use to help you avoid medical identity theft:

1. Check your credit report on a quarterly basis or subscribe to a credit monitoring service.

2. Make sure that you read all your mail and check any insurance claims immediately. If you notice any discrepancies then you should contact your insurance company right away.

3. If you believe that your medical identity has been compromised, you should seek the help of a qualified legal professional to assist you.

4. If you're ever denied employment or credit, see if you can determine why you were denied. You might have been denied based on something in your credit report.

5. Don't ignore collection calls. If someone says that you owe them for medical bills, follow up to see if you really owe them or if you've been a victim of medical identity theft.

6. Evaluate your medical charts. Make sure that your correct blood type, allergies, etc. are listed. If the wrong information is listed, you may be a victim of medical identity theft.

In conclusion, medical identity theft is a serious situation that cannot be ignored. The key to protecting yourself is being aware of the possibilities and doing what you can to protect yourself. If you find some discrepancies, make sure that you check them out right away. Your medical history and future must be protected.