Identity theft is the process of obtaining personal information about a person, and using that information to create a new identity with the intention of committing unlawful acts in that person's name. The federal government, as well as numerous state governments, has passed laws making identity fraud a crime.

Persons believing they have been the victim of identity theft, have several avenues to travel down for help, to stem the financial loss and restore their name and reputation.

Prior to 1998, identity theft cases went mostly into information-only files, as there were no federal laws on the books to hold responsible those who perpetrated the crime. Since many of these fraud cases crossed state lines, local and state enforcement agencies were handcuffed when it came to prosecution.

Identity theft took a lift off once the internet boom allowed identity thieves a chance to access a world full of information from the comfort of their homes. This new epidemic opened doors to some of the most life-changing theft crimes in the industry.

Everyone today is talking about identity theft, and that makes one curious to know what is this all about. The definition of identity theft in a literal sense would be the act of using another person's identity in order to get some material gains.

Identity theft is quickly becoming one of the most serious and fastest growing crimes in the world. An idea that came from the internet and the use of computers, has graduated into many offline ways of obtaining and using personal information.

Prior to 1998, identity theft cases went mostly into information-only files, as there were no federal laws on the books to hold responsible those who perpetrated the crime. Since many of the identity theft cases crossed state lines, local and state enforcement agencies were handcuffed when it came to prosecution.

What do you do when out of the blue you find that you are a victim of identity theft? It is a shocking experience and an extremely stressful one too. People usually get panicky only thinking about such a scenario, forget about really living through it.

Most crimes are fairly easy to detect. Your purse is stolen, or your house is broken into. Valuable items such as cash, jewelry and electronics are missing. Criminal identity theft can be harder to discover.