Identity Crime Definitions

Identity fraud and identity theft are often used very loosely to describe any situation in which personal details are misappropriated for gain. The following definitions have been developed by the Identity Fraud Steering Committee to clarify these terms.

1	Identity Crime is a generic term for Identity Theft, creating a False Identity or committing Identity Fraud.
2	False Identity is:
	(a) a fictitious (i.e. invented) identity; or (b) an existing (i.e. genuine) identity that has been altered to create a fictitious identity.
3	Identity Theft occurs when sufficient information about an identity is obtained to facilitate Identity Fraud, irrespective of whether, in the case of an individual, the victim is alive or dead.
4	Identity Fraud occurs when a False Identity or someone else’s identity details are used to support unlawful activity, or when someone avoids obligation/liability by falsely claiming that he/she was the victim of Identity Fraud.

Notes

(i) The definitions:

(a) are for use in assessing the extent of Identity Crime;
(b) are not legal definitions and are not tied to specific criminal offences; and
(c) apply to both individual and corporate Identity Crime.

(ii) Examples of Identity Fraud include using a False Identity or someone else’s identity details (e.g. name, address, previous address, date of birth etc) for commercial, economic or monetary gain; or obtaining goods or information; or obtaining access to facilities or services (such as opening a bank account, applying for benefit or obtaining a loan/credit card).