In class this week we talked about identity theft and identity fraud, and how they are different from one another. It was mentioned that people tend to interchange identity theft and identity fraud simply because they don't now there is an actual difference, and in truth I have been one of those people.

Identity theft is the act of stealing another person's identity to obtain credit or access to resources in the victims name, to be used for personal gain. On the other hand, identity fraud is when you steal someone's personal information, obtained for the purpose of committing fraud. This typically used by people looking to create a false identity and documents. The main types of identity theft and fraud include financial, criminal, identity cloning, synthetic, and medical. Financial is using another's identity to obtain a SSN number, goods and or services. Criminal is when you pose as someone else when convicted. Identity cloning is something that is rare and mainly on the silver screen, but it is when you assume another persons identity in daily life. Synthetic is when you create an identity that is partially or even fully fabricated, and medical is when you use information that is not yours to obtain medical care or drugs.

One thing that we touched on that I found very interesting and important was the common sources of identity theft. People will go through your trash to obtain any sort of information they can use to help them in committing their crime. The personal information that everyone stores on their personal computer is another very common way for people to obtain your personal information and this is typically done by Phishing emails. Theft of a wallet/purse can easily lead to identity theft and fraud, as well as the information people put on Facebook, i.e date of birth, address, phone, etc.

I was once a victim of identity theft because I was careless and clicked a link on an email without truly looking at the URL. This enabled the individual to access my debit card information, and only after seeing that my bank account was $90 some lower then expected did I realize what happened. It was not a fun experience to go through, however it was a HUGE learning experience for me. Ever since then I will routinely check my bank account, and whenever I receive an email from a source that is unfamiliar I make sure everything in the URL is spelled accurately. Another thing I tend to do is listen to my gut, and if something feels off about the email I will rarely ever click on a link.