Social security numbers, full names, phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, PINs, and passwords—what do they all have in common?

Yes, they are personal information and aside from that, they are key pieces of information that an identity thief can use if they want to impersonate someone else. There are cases where illegal immigrants gain legal entry to another country by assuming someone else’s identity and obtain legal employment in that new country using social security cards and stolen identities. Most of the time, any crime committed by the identity theft expert is blamed on the victim and no one will realize that they have been a victim until the end of the day when everything related to their identity has been stolen.

There are two main types of identity theft: account theft and real name theft. We will discuss these two concepts separately.

Account takeover occurs when an identity theft criminal uses his victim’s personal information to gain access to bank and credit card accounts. In this circumstance, the identity thief will often request a change of address so that the victim does not realize that their identity has already been stolen since the bank statements do not arrive. The thief then charges a fee to credit more products and sign up for more online and offline services.

On the other hand, the second type -real name identity theft- refers to a situation in which the identity thief uses his victim’s personal information to open new bank accounts, apply for new credit cards, create a new account current or subscribe to any telephone or public services.

The Internet has made stealing identities more convenient and profitable for identity thieves. For one reason, the “physical identity” of the person making the online transaction cannot be verified. All the thief needs to complete the transaction is a correct card number, a couple of phone numbers, and easily accessible personal information. Enter all of that and the online transaction the thief is involved in will be easily completed in minutes.

Restoring your good name and credit score can take a considerable amount of time. Of course, undertaking the process will require you to contact various agencies and credit bureaus just to dispute the entries that were fraudulently made in your name. This task can be very daunting for victims and the entire process can take months or even years. It can be a long and painful process, but then again, it can all be worth it if your name is on the line.

It is never possible to fully protect yourself against identity theft. While there are many security measures you can take to protect yourself and your identity, this can only reduce your attractiveness to identity thieves, but cannot fully protect you. Still, if you think your account has been compromised, you should immediately contact the people involved.