Identity Theft is the act of wrongfully obtaining someone’s personal information (that defines one’s identity) without their permission. The personal information may include their name, phone number, address, bank account number, Aadhaar number or credit/debit card number etc.
Identity Theft can have many adverse effects. The fraudster can use stolen personal information and identity proofs to:
Hence, everyone should be aware about identity theft and should know the mechanisms to prevent it.
The attacker hacks or gains access to the social media account of the victim. The attacker can then harm the victim by misusing the personal information and photographs. The attacker can also post offensive content on the victim's profile or defame the victim. They can also create fake social media accounts and cheat the friends/contacts.
The attacker misuses the photo copies of identity proofs of the victim. These can be PAN Card, Aadhaar Card or any other identity proof of the victim. The attacker can use these photocopies to steal money or cause harm to the victim.
Credit/Debit card skimming is done using a small device called skimmer. The magnetic strip of the card stores details such as name, credit/debit card number and expiration date. First, the credit/ debit card is swiped through a skimmer. Then, the skimmer captures all these details. Thieves use this stolen data to make online transactions. They also use this data to create duplicate credit/debit cards and withdraw money from ATMs.