Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. It affects the lives of 9 million adults every year, and it harms innocent children as well. An ID thief obtains a child’s Social Security number and goes from there. How does one recognize identity theft criminals? The following information is designed to answer that question, along with many others.

Delta, PA -- (SBWire) -- 12/04/2012 --Identity theft is now considered a major crime in America, and the federal government has stepped in and devised laws making it punishable by more than a slap on the wrist and probation. Every time people feel they’ve figured out how to protect themselves from identity theft, the thieves develop new ways to scam them. However, these thieves do periodically get caught, and when they do, they are brought up on identity theft criminal charges. The jail time for this offense is a hefty fine and not more than 15 years depending on the circumstances of the theft. Protect Yourself against Identity Theft Criminal charges, Send Request for More Info

The punishment for identity theft criminals depends a great deal on what, exactly, was entailed in their thefts. If they steal the identifying documents of 5 different people for fraudulent purposes, or to defraud the United States, they’ll be fined $1,000 and may serve up to 5 years in prison. If they use the ill-gotten gains to forge identifying documents such as birth certificates and driver’s licenses, they’ll pay a fine of $2,000 and serve up to 7 years in jail. Using stolen documents to facilitate drug trafficking or in connection with a violent crime earns the offender up to 20 behind bars and a staggering monetary punishment. The federal government takes the crime of identity theft seriously and is doling out appropriately harsh punishments for offenders.

Catching identity thieves and bringing them up on identity theft criminal charges is difficult. In 2009, only 1 of 700 ID thieves was apprehended by law enforcement personnel. The biggest problem is that most identity theft victims don’t become aware that their identity has been tampered with for up to a full year after the damage is done. Another issue is that police and federal agents have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. Comparing identity theft statistics to violent crime statistics, only 0.14% of ID theft was looked in to, whereas 44% of violent crimes were followed up on. Because most identity theft is perpetrated by co-workers, family members, or so-called friends of the victim, the crime is often unreported. A full 50% of reported ID theft was committed by one or more of these people.

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