Financial identity theft

Your financial information can be stolen in many ways. Directly, thieves can gain access to your bank account numbers or debit card information, then drain your accounts or make fraudulent purchases. Indirectly, using your Social Security number, thieves can open credit cards or take out loans, potentially ruining your credit score.

A thief might utilize your trash to get your Social Security number from a sensitive document and then open a new account with that information. Sometimes thieves working in restaurants will write down your credit or debit card number and use it to make online purchases.

Most vulnerable: Everyone, but especially people who do not secure their financial and personal information. If you’re unfamiliar with online shopping technology, you are particularly at risk, as this is a common way for a criminal to get your financial information.

Insurance identity theft

Insurance identity theft is when someone uses your insurance information to file a fraudulent claim. This can be a medical claim, but most commonly this occurs with home or auto insurance.

The thief may obtain your information and use it to file a claim of damage on your home, but have the payment re-routed to a different bank account. Or, they might actually have damage of their own, but they don’t want the liability attached to their policy.

Most vulnerable: People who just survived a natural disaster. After a major hurricane, wildfire or earthquake, the risk of insurance identity theft increases, because adjusters are bombarded with claims, and they may be too distracted to double check your information is going to the right place.

Medical identity theft

A thief can use your information to get medical care, including having surgery, seeing a doctor or getting prescriptions they otherwise would not be able to afford. Medical identity theft can also apply to medical insurance identity theft, as the two often go hand in hand.

A savvy thief might even impersonate a doctor to get access to your information. Then, using your Social Security number or other information, they can make an appointment in your name, and the charges will be reflected on your accounts and records.

Most vulnerable: People who see several doctors, especially the elderly, and people who do not have a good understanding of the medical industry.

Criminal identity theft

This occurs when someone uses your identity in lieu of their own after they have committed a crime. You can get saddled with their court dates, hearings and record, while the real criminal avoids their consequences.

When someone is stopped by a law enforcement officer, they might try to pass off your information as their own to avoid arrest. If they are successful, you could wind up with criminal charges on your record or a warrant for your arrest, even though you haven’t done anything wrong.

Most vulnerable: Someone who has lost their identification.

Driver’s license identity theft

Driver’s license identity theft occurs when someone else takes possession of your driver’s license, either by stealing it or by finding it when it is lost, and uses it. This can lead to points on a driving record, a criminal record and other frustrating issues.

Often, this type of theft results in the license being sold, either to a minor looking to buy alcohol or to a person who needs an ID to work. Thieves might also use the license in traffic stops to avoid a DUI or reckless driving, for example.

Most vulnerable: Someone who has had their wallet or purse stolen.

Synthetic identity theft

Synthetic identity theft typically occurs when a criminal combines real information with fake or stolen information. By combining your Social Security number with another name or address, a criminal can craft an entirely new identity that is difficult for law enforcement—and you—to track.

Social Security numbers are often compromised in data breaches, and sometimes criminals comb through trash for unshredded documents with sensitive information to exploit. A criminal could open new bank accounts, file taxes and even receive medical care with your Social Security number. They can also use the new identity when committing crimes, which makes them harder to trace.

Most vulnerable: Anyone with a Social Security number. Someone whose information was compromised in a data breach.

Child identity theft

The fastest growing type of identity theft, child identity theft happens when thieves target the sensitive information of children. It’s popular because it takes longer for someone to notice the theft of a child’s identity than an adult’s identity.

Someone close to the child, even a family member, doctor or teacher, might take or lose a child’s information, or a parent might put the information at risk in the same way they put their own. A thief can take the Social Security number and name and then create an entire credit history from scratch.

Most vulnerable: Children and adolescents, especially those in low-income communities.