Identity theft

Identity theft occurs when someone's personal information is used by someone else without their permission or knowledge.

A person's identity is a valuable commodity and criminals have become ever more ingenious in their quest to get hold of a convincing false identity.

A criminal does not need to obtain a person's whole identity to commit fraud; they may only need the key elements such as name, address and date of birth. This may then be used to support criminal activity, involving fraud, deception, or obtaining benefits and services in the person's name.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 people are affected by identity theft in the UK each year, costing the economy over £1.3 billion annually.