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Identity theft is a concern for many people, mainly because it’s almost impossible to tell whether you’re a victim of identity theft until it’s too late. People usually realise that personal information has been stolen when their information is used to commit fraud or other crimes, which is known as identity fraud.
In 2018, there were 189,000 reported cases of identity fraud in the UK.
If you have been accused of identity theft, please visit our criminal defence page or contact our solicitors directly on 020 3007 5500.
What is identity theft?
Identity theft occurs when an individual steals another person’s personal information or possessions to use their identity. This form of theft can happen when an identity thief steals enough valuable information about the victim (who can be alive or deceased) to use their identity for criminal activities.
Identity theft is one of the most common crimes in the UK.
What information will an identity thief look to steal?
Common examples of information an identity thief will look to steal include someone:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Current address
- Previous addresses
- National Insurance number
- Passwords
- NHS number
If you have had any of the above stolen, make sure you contact your local police immediately on 101.
What can an identity thief do with this information?
Some of the main reasons that someone steals the identity of another person include:
- Opening bank accounts
- Obtaining loans or credit cards
- Ordering Goods
- Taking over existing accounts
- Obtaining genuine documents
In most cases, identity theft occurs immediately before identity fraud. Usually, a victim will only realise that their identity has been stolen when it becomes identity fraud. For example, if someone suddenly notices strange activity occurring on their bank account.
What are the common ways people can steal your identity?
There are many ways that someone can steal your identity, which include:
- Common theft. The most common way that someone can have their identity stolen is through common theft. For example, if someone steals your handbag or wallet, which contains various forms of your ID (driving licence, bank cards, among others).
- Bin diving (skipping). This form of identity theft is where an individual will go through their victim’s rubbish (or sometimes’s their post) to find information, such as bank statements, payslips, among others. A fraudster can even use indirect personal information (such as a phone list or a calendar).
- Cold-calling. This form of identity theft is where an identity thief will phone someone pretending to be a genuine business to trick the person into giving away their details and financial information. Furthermore, a common trick of a cold-caller is to use background noise to make it seem like they’re in an office or call centre.
- Hacking. This form of identity theft is where an identity thief hacks a victim’s device (such as a computer or smartphone) to gain access to personal data. It’s important to note that a hacker will not always hack your device. In some circumstances, professional computer hackers can hack into networks to gain personal information.
- Phishing. This form of identity theft is where an individual will send an email impersonating a company with a link or attachment in the email. The identity thieves goal is to get the recipient to click the link or attachment, which downloads a virus onto the device. This virus will then access all the recipient’s personal information.
If you have been a victim of any form of identity theft, make sure you contact your local police immediately on 101.
How can you prevent identity theft?
Identity thieves are becoming more tactical by the day. Therefore, there’s no way to stop identity theft from occurring entirely. However, there are several ways that you can minimise the chance of someone stealing your identity. Some of these examples include:
- Not throwing away any documentation, including personal information (such as full name, address or financial details) without first shredding/destroying the document.
- Never reveal your full password, login details or account details over the phone. It’s important to note that banks don’t ask for your full details, usually just one or two special characters.
- Checking your bank statements carefully and regularly and report anything suspicious to the bank or the relevant service provider.
- Not leaving documents with personal data lying around. Make sure you store them in a safe place.
- If you’re expecting a letter, email or statement and it does not arrive, tell the relevant service provider.
- If you move house, take precautionary measures and ask for your mail to be redirected for at least a year.
- Credit agencies (TransUnion, ClearScore etc.) offer services that check and scan for potentially fraudulent activity.
- Use strong passwords online (and different passwords for different websites/accounts).
- Protect devices with up-to-date security software (making sure to update regularly where necessary).
- Applying to CIFAS (the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service) for protective registration. Once registered, CIFAS members will carry out additional checks when applying for a financial service (e.g. applying for a loan) using your address to provide an extra level of security.
How to report identity theft?
Suppose you think that you have been the victim of identity theft. In that case, make sure you contact the following:
- Local police on the non-emergency number (101).
- Your bank, credit card company and any relevant service provider to inform them of your suspicion.
- ActionFraud, who is the police fraud-reporting service.
You should report any missing or stolen documents (such as your passport, driving licence, credit cards, bank cards or cheque books) to the organisation that they came from.
What is the punishment for identity theft?
Identity theft isn’t taken lightly in the eyes of the law. For less sophisticated operations, prison sentences typically last anywhere between 6 months to 2 years. In comparison, for identity fraud that took skilful planning, the sentence will likely fall in the region of 2 years to 7 years imprisonment.
The maximum sentence for identity fraud is 10-years imprisonment.
What can you do if you’re facing a charge?
If you’re facing an identity fraud allegation, it’s essential to contact a criminal defence solicitor as soon as possible. In these types of cases, fast action can make a massive difference to the outcome of your case. Our criminal defence solicitors can provide the following:
- Representation during questioning
- Ensuring that your rights are protected throughout the process
- Providing advice on whether you should take a plea
- Making an application for bail, when necessary
- Preparing you for trial
- Providing you with representation in court
- Assisting you on making appeals, if necessary
To contact one of our criminal defence solicitors, please get in touch with us directly on 020 3007 5500.
Yo siento desde que me vine a vivir a México me hicieron mi robo de identidad porque me antes de venirme a vivir arregle mi combo y le informe al seguro social de mi bebida a vivir a México ya que mis hijos y mi esposa acá se en contraban desde el 2014 que le negaron la nacionalidad a mi esposa y como desde toda la vida me a alludado el gobierno para mi mantención porque desde los 6 meses de nacido me dió epilepsia y e tomado medicina de por ida alos 18 años me dieron la ayuda SSI y desde que me vine hace 3 años con mi familia a vivir a México ya no me llegó ningún cheque y es lo que tengo tiempo checando porque las enbajadas están serradas por lo del coby y nomás pura correspondencia me llega a México y un puro cheque en mayo del que envío el nuevo precidente de 1400 dólares y ya no se que hacer atoda mi familia le debo dinero que me prestan para medio vivir u ahora todos me cobran y no tengo para pagar a dónde ácido porque tengo tiempo que diariamente hablo a la embajada estadounidense y no me entran las llamadas para ver qué a pasado con mis cheques de estímulo y todos los de mi alluda porque desde que me vine no me volvieron a dar otro y regrese para checar y serrado y allá por teléfono me dijieron que mi cambio ya estaba echo y que lo que tenía que hacer es hablar ala embajada aquí y nomás noe dan una salida donde está mi dinero yo no sé si se lo robaron o que pasó porque hace 4 meses me llegó a México un cheque de estimulo de 1400 dólares que cambie en una casa de cambio con mi acta de nacimiento mi ID de California mi seguro social
Y todo mi dinero que me deben quien lo tiene nadie me dice nada
Les e mandado diariamente toda mi información número de seguro ,número de ID de California fecha de nacimiento lugar donde viví todo y hasta ahorita no e sabido nada ni me dicen que hacer