Many serious crimes involve the use of violence and physical contact. Nonetheless, violence and physicality are not required for all serious crimes.
With advancing technology, there has been a rise in criminal activities referred to as white-collar crimes. These are non-violent crimes that revolve around financial gain. One form of white-collar crime is identity theft. What does this look like?
The most common form of identity theft
Identity theft relating to financial crimes is the most common form. This involves an individual using another person’s private details to acquire money, credit, real estate, vehicles or anything else of monetary value.
Sometimes, the identity of a person may be blended. This is called synthetic identity theft. Synthetic identity theft involves using some legitimate details and blending them with stolen details in order to make fraudulent financial gains.
Identity theft involving taxes
Identities can also be stolen for tax purposes. For instance, an individual may use someone else’s details when filing their tax return in order to pay less tax or even collect fraudulent refunds.
Identity theft during an arrest
When a person is arrested, the police will ask for their details. They will need to tell the police their name at a minimum. If the arrested party gives out someone else’s name, this is identity theft. This can have grave consequences for the person whose identity has been stolen. They may find themselves being called to court for a crime that they did not commit and have no idea about.
Identity theft is a criminal offense in Washington state, and the penalties can be severe. If you’re facing charges of this nature, it is pivotal that you seek legal guidance