Identity Cloning
What is "identity cloning"?
Identity cloning, to me, is the scariest part of identity theft. It's really when somebody compromises your identity, and they actually live and work as you. They even pay the bills as you. They get married as you. They have kids as you. They send their kids to school as you. I mean they literally live your life somewhere else. I have a client, a woman, who I worked with not too long ago, who worked behind a cosmetics counter at a large department store for many, many years. She had a lot of different types of people coming in to buy cosmetics. Some of her clientele was actually men who were transvestites. Well, over the years, one of the men who was her client morphed into her, got plastic surgery, got a full blown sex change and eventually actually became her by taking her name and her social security number, and actually thought he was her. That is identity cloning in the truest sense. And eventually, he even got her social security number and then opened up accounts under her name as well. That is identity cloning and that's the scariest it gets.
What kinds of information to identity cloners steal?
Identity cloners are going for as much information about you and your history as they possibly can. They want to know where you were born, where you grew up. They want to know what relationships you've had, where you went to school. Eventually they'll want your basic information like your name, your address and, of course, your social security number. They want to know who your parents are. They want to know as much information about you as they can so that when they travel or when they move to another state, if it does come up, if questions are asked of them about your life, they can essentially answer those questions in an informative way.
Why do people clone identities and how do they choose their victims?
Identity cloners are generally people who are hiding out. They are either previously convicted criminals, people running from the law, or unfortunately, some people who are simply just mentally ill. Identity cloners are often looking for people who are deceased, young people who have been deceased, and then they'll take their social security numbers and they'll actually begin to live as that person. Otherwise they're looking for people who have licenses, professional licenses such as doctors and lawyers, even law enforcement and firemen, someone of some form of a status where they can use that identity to open up even more doors to clone even more identities.
How do identity thieves use my information to impersonate me?
The first thing that an identity cloner is going to do is get as much forms of identification about you as they can. It's unfortunately very easy to do so. A fraudulent Social Security card mixed with a fraudulent birth certificate together, taking that to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, can often get a real driver's license. From there they can get a passport and credit cards, and everything else - anything that you can do, anything you can get, any loan you can apply for, any doors you can open - they can do the exact same thing, once they get these real forms of identification.
How does an identity thief use my name and information?
Identity cloners learn early on just how easy it is to clone somebody else's identity. Sometimes they may be irresponsible with one person's identity and maybe even go bankrupt under that person's identity, and then they'll actually clone somebody else's identity. As they learn the business, and it is a business, identity theft is a business, as they learn the business of it, they will eventually clone multiple identities and open up numerous accounts, living as many different people.
What are signs I might be a victim of identity cloning?
Identity cloning victims often find out they're a victim when they check their credit reports and they see duplicate addresses with their same name. Checking their social security benefits they may see dual addresses. And sometimes if its a proffessional you might actually share the same license and your members of the same association, and officials from that association start to see that there is two of the same person walking around. There is actually documented situations of that actually happening.
What are the consequences of identity cloning?
Victims of identity cloning, unfortunately, are faced with having to pay for lawyers and private investigators. The financial losses for identity cloning and the time involved to restore an identity clone, far exceeds most forms of identity theft because someone has done that much more damage. They have lived as you, they have worked as you, they've got roots and history, and you have to go and clean all that information up. And that involves bringing in many professionals to assist you in restoring that compromised cloning identity. Generally lawyers and private investigators and others work with you to restore that compromised identity.
