2.1 Meaning of Identity Theft

Every single information, data, and other materials pertaining to your identity is of crucial nature in this atomic era. The information about a person's identity are found in many forms like credit cards, bank passbook, ATM bank cards and others which are very vulnerable for a threat named as identity theft nowadays. Identity theft or also known as identity fraud can be defined as any circumstances whereby personal details of an individual is being used in a wrongful or misappropriate way to obtain certain advantages or gain. Identity theft or ID theft is a crime and an offence punishable under the law. 


The personal information found in driving licence, credit card numbers and others are being used with a criminal intention by the culprit to pose or to personify other person's identity in order to obtain material advantages like to purchase merchandise, services, or credit using the victim's name. In some instances, the victim is already dead but his or her identity is still being used by another person. This crime of impersonation brings grave consequences to victims like affecting their personal financial position badly without them knowing it as this modern crime is being implement without the victim's knowledge and consent. 

Sometimes, the victim losses may not just include the financial part but other additional substantive losses, closely associated with the process of restoring one's reputation in the community and correcting erroneous information for which the culprit is responsible. A tangible example would be obtaining a driving licence or other form of documentation which displays the culprit's photo but with the victim's name and information. The process of applying travelling documents, creating fraudulent income tax statements and returns is being made possible with this crime.