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Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic profit. There are many different types of identity theft and fraud.

Here are some of the most common types of identity theft:

Shoulder Surfing - This is where the thief nuzzles up to you, sometimes holding a hidden video camera (usually in a cell phone) and tries to tell what your account number and PIN Is while you are performing a transaction at an ATM or on a telephone. This is why it is always a good idea to keep an eye on who is around you when you are doing credit card transactions in public. Shoulder surfing can even take place while you are in a store using a hand held debit device so it is always a good idea to conceal the numeric pad as you punch your numbers in.

Skimming - This type of fraud usually happens in a place where you are required to give an employee your card (such as a restaurant.) The employee disappears with your card to process it but also puts it through a bit of extra processing by using a device that can copy the encrypted information on the black magnetic stripe in your card. This information is then replicated to create a copy of your original credit card so charges can be rung up on it.

Dumpster Diving- With this type of identity theft the thief goes through your garbage to find receipts from cash registers, financial statements, credit card statements and even black carbon statements in order to find out your personal information and your credit card number.

Taking Advantage of Your Offers - In this kind of fraud a thief either steals a pre-approved credit card offer from your mailbox or out of your garbage. They then apply for the card as if it was you. This is why it is so important to shred or discard these materials if you happen to receive them.

The Fraudulent Email - A very common way of obtaining passwords, account numbers, social security numbers and other information is for the thief to send you an email under the guise of a company that you trust. Very often they pose as your credit card company, bank or another institution that you hold an account with. They will tell you that there has been "fraud" suspected on your account and that they need you to confirm your account number. Sometimes they will ask you to change your password (if they already have your account number. This is a great way of getting your personal data. Some criminals even have advanced computer technology that can obtain large amounts of personal data once you provide them with just one or two important bits of information such as your social security number.

Yet another crime of this type is called phishing. This is where criminals posing as a credit consolidation company make you an offer to obtain your credit report or fix your credit. In order to this they of course need your financial information and some kind of fee. Once you pay the fee the company of course disappears.

With enough identifying information about an individual, a criminal can take over that individual's identity and conduct all kinds of crimes. The crook can make false applications for loans and credit cards and withdraw money from your accounts. Your stolen identity can also be used for the fraudulent use of telephone calling cards. This can go on for months without the victim's knowledge as often falsely obtained credit cards are sent to an address other than yours. It is quite common for a victim of identity theft to have not idea this is going on until quite a bit of damage has already been done to the person's reputation and credit.