Ever been in a situation where you found your identity stolen? Did you ever find an identical account on social media, containing your contact details and address? If not, have you heard of crimes that were committed under false names?
This is what we call identity theft, or identity fraud. It is one of the most vicious crimes that is running since the beginning of the 21st century, in which another person steals your personal information, such as an ID number or a driver’s license, to impersonate someone you under false pretense.
Identity Theft risks
The details in your identification, allows the imposter to access your bank details while pretending that its you. In some situations, an imposter might provide false identification to police, creating a criminal record under your name, since it is easy to duplicate an ID under the same name.
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The Two Main Ways of Account Turnover
There are two ways to commit identity theft and they are categorized as: true name and account takeover.
- True-name identity theft means the thief uses personal information to open new accounts either physical or online account.
The thief might open a new credit card account, establish cellular phone service or open a new checking account to obtain blank checks.
- Account-takeover identity theft is when the imposter uses your information to gain access to your existing accounts.
Typically, an identity thief will change the mailing address on an account and run up a huge bill before you realize there is a problem.
The internet has made it easier for anyone to use public information, since transactions can be made without any personal interaction and what is needed are typed-in details from autofill. As legal experts & lawyers in the UAE, we are aware of the high risk of exposing these information online. These crimes require a professional lawyer or a legal consultant to secure all rights in court, in all emirates.