The purpose of the bogus site? To trick you into divulging your personal information so the perpetrators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name. You can be a victim of identity theft even if you never use a computer. Malicious people may be able to obtain personal information (such as credit card numbers, phone numbers, account numbers, and addresses) by stealing your wallet, overhearing a phone conversation, rummaging through your trash (a practice known as dumpster diving), or picking up a receipt at a restaurant that has your account number on it. Never give personal information tips to any website if they are not locked with SSL (Security Socket Layer). There are many reasons why Identity Numbers Social Theft does exist. Others start from habits to deviate from the usual norm of conduct, and insist on doing things negative. Some wants it the easy way to earn, but risks are, to their disadvantage. Under the "Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998," it defined how it is a crime to make unlawful use of another person's identification, which is controlled by mandatory requirement to be identified by just using name or Social Security Number. No matter how many kinds of imposed protection is done to avoid intrusion of privacy through chains of private information through government and non-governmental listings, the problem is sieved by the clever manipulations of the offenders. In one notorious case of identity theft, a convicted felon have not only incurred thousands of credit card debt by using another person's identity, he was also able to obtain a federal home loan, and even bought homes, motorcycles, and handguns using the victim's name. What is even more frustrating is that the felon even called his victim to taunt him -- saying that he could continue to assume the victim's identity for as long as he wanted because identity theft was not a federal crime at that time. Tips to Prevent Identity Theft The time it takes for a victim to recover from identity theft can be extensive, and while the wounds aren't physical, they are psychological and life-changing in several ways. Identity theft occurs when someone steals personal information and pretends to be you to obtain credit cards, loans, and even jobs by using your work references. " By one industry estimate, more than 1,000 people a day in the United States fall victim to crimes of stolen identity. In 1997 the U.S. Secret Service make 9,455 arrests involving identify fraud. According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse there are over 400,000 thefts of identity each year with that result in more than $2 Billion worth of annual losses for the country.