Types of Identity Theft: Wholesale Identity Theft
Author: John Published Under: Information Security
Identity theft is a very real threat all over the world, which is made much easier by the way that token of identity, such as utility bills and birth certificates, are used to prove identity, yet are in no way secure. More and more, these types of insecure identifiers carry so much weight that it is possible to open an account, with little more than an employee id badge and a bill from the power company.
There are three types of identity theft, application fraud, account takeover, and wholesale identity theft, with wholesale identity theft being the most serious and most sinister.
During wholesale identity theft, the criminal will attempt to completely takeover the victims identity. In most cases they begin by obtaining a birth certificate and social security number. From there, they go on to obtain a valid drivers license and other types of government ID, which is relatively easy with only a birth certificate and utility bill.
Once the criminal has a few forms of real government id, the game is on and it is relatively easy to do anything the victim could, from opening a new credit account to obtaining a loan. In some cases, the criminal will go so far as to commit crimes, making it appear as if the victim is actually the perpetrator.
For those wishing to preform short quick hauls, a living person is used, but for those who are in the identity theft game for the long haul, a dead person is used. In the case of a dead person, it is relatively easy to find a dead child's birth certificate and social security number, sometimes by simply preforming a Google search.
Some Advantages of Wholesale Identity Theft
- Since the criminal is using real government ID, it will be looked on by banks and such as genuine, because for all intensive purposes it is.
- In the case of using a dead persons identity, the victim is dead, so there is little chance of discovery, as is the case when the person is living and using the credit system.
- This type of identiy theft can last for a much longer time than others, often many years.
Some disadvantages of Wholesale Identity Theft
- Since new accounts must be opened and applied for, it is a much more personal type of identity theft, often involving a number of face to face dealings.
- If the victim has bad credit or has had problems with the law, they can be troublesome to the theif, making credit harder to obtain, especially since they may not know about them.
- In the case of a dead person, they usually have little credit, so the criminal must actually build up the credit of the deceased before they can use it.