Identity theft occurs when someone steals personal information from someone else and attempts to use it for fraudulent means. Typically, thieves target information such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card account numbers, and other personal information that might allow a thief to open a line of credit. Once the information is obtained, it may be sold for money and passed around several times before anyone begins using the data or the credit.
Often a person does not know identity theft has occured until an unknown account shows up on a credit report. Although there are laws increasingly written to help prosecute identity theft, tracking the thief or theives can be very difficult. It is often the burden of the victim to prove he or she has had their identity stolen.
