Without stealing your wallet, a crook can steal your

financial identity with as little information as your

social security number. When a dishonest person has your

Social Security number, the thief can use it to get other

personal information about you.

Identifying information may include such things as a Social

Security number, account number, date of birth, driver's

license number, passport number, biometric data and other

unique electronic identification numbers or codes. It can

occur without your knowledge and usually goes undetected

for months, even years.

Identity theft is an emotionally abusive crime, and its

psychological effects on the victim may last for years. It

is a repetitive crime, as victims receive continual notices

by phone or mail from creditors.

Unfortunately with the ease and flow of information via

computer networks and the internet, it is easier than ever

to find access and use personal and financial information

of others. Identity theft is not about numbers and it's not

about money. If it was, we could write laws to protect

ourselves. Identity theft is the dark side of the last

decade's tech boom. Brave new technologies put consumer

information online where it is easy to access. The amount

of data stored on these computer systems is an ideal

repository for criminals to attempt identity theft.

Identity theft is becoming a bigger problem as more and

more people are making the internet a bigger part of their

lives. Identity theft has evolved into a sophisticated and

profitable underground economy, characterized by

specialization of the production of goods and services,

outsourcing of production, multivariate pricing and

adaptable business models.

Identity theft is less publicized when it occurs on the

individual level, but the number of ways in which it can

occur on this level is just as distressing. The simplest

method involves stealing or finding your wallet, or digging

through your trash. With tactics like dumpster diving,

phishing, pretexting and skimming continuing to threaten

us, consumers deserve swift and concrete action. People who

are new to the online medium often fall prey to "phishing".

The mundane activities of a typical consumer during the

course of a regular day may provide tremendous

opportunities for an identity thief: purchasing gasoline,

meals, clothes, or tickets to an athletic event; renting a

car, a video, or home-improvement tools; purchasing gifts

or trading stock on-line; receiving mail; or taking out the

garbage or recycling.