When police officers investigate cases, they often place a special emphasis on the effects that crimes have on the victims. Some crimes, such as identity theft, are often thought of as victimless crimes because the victims aren’t actually physically assaulted. That isn’t the case because identity theft crimes do harm the people who have their identity stolen.
If you are charged with identity theft, you must get ready to defend yourself against prosecutors who might be aggressive. You should understand some basic points about identity theft so that you can decide how to defend yourself.
Identity theft can involve using another person’s identifying information as his or her own. This can mean that the person uses the victim’s name, Social Security number and other similar information instead of his or her own. When this occurs, the person might end up causing the victim to have a criminal record or other negative associations.
Identity theft sometimes has a financial element to it. In some cases, the victim will have new credit accounts using his or her information. His or her bank accounts and other financial information might be taken and used fraudulently.
If you are being charged with identity theft, you could be facing state level or federal level charges. Which court your case is in can have a big impact on your defense options. It can also have an impact on the penalties you face. You must make sure that you understand the laws that apply to your case, as well as the penalties that you face so that you can make choices about your case.
Source: FindLaw, “Identity Theft,” accessed July 29, 2016
