As per a report, there are about 14 million Americans who have their identities stolen each year. The identity theft results in the loss of billions of dollars and the sad thing are that it cannot be recovered. The identity theft happens when some person is using the identity of another person to get the benefit and harming the person whose identity is being used. There are several laws in Fairfax which are made to criminalize these situations. The consultation with the identity theft lawyer in Virginia is very important so that a strong defense can be built just to ensure that your rights will be protected during the trial. Let’s discuss the topic in detail.
The Types of Offenses
It is a serious crime in Fairfax to use the identity of a person used by another person with an intention to fraud. There are different types of defenses that are covered by this law.
- Acquiring the person information improperly in order to get access to the financial resources of a person to get the benefit or to get the documentation of this identification.
- Using the personal information of a person to get good and services in an illegal manner.
- Using the personal information to create the documents with someone else’s name with an intention to fraud.
In today’s electronic world, it is very easy to get the information of any person to commit a serious offense. These cases are growing in this state at an alarming ratio.
The Types of Identity Theft
The identity theft has many types some of them are listed below.
- The fraud related to a new account.
- Taking over the account of any person.
- The Cloning of identity.
- Medical Identity theft.
- Commercial and business identity theft.
- Criminal identity theft.
Personal information can be stolen with the help of computer and the term HACK is used in this case. It is a class 6 felony if you are getting the information from the computer and selling it to others. The buyer of this data will have the conviction of class 5 felony.
Penalties for Identity Theft in Fairfax
If the prosecutor is successful in proving that the identity theft resulted in a loss that is greater than USD 200 then it is a class 6 felony and the person will be sentenced to jail for 5 years along with a possible fine of USD 2500. If the loss is less than USD 200 then it is a class 1 felony and the possible punishment will be up to 12 months in jail along with a fine amount of USD 2500. If the offender has convicted it for the second time then it will be a class 5 felony and the imprisonment will be for 10 years with a fine up to USD 2500. In Virginia, the guidelines of these offenses are very strict. Contact your lawyer immediately if are being investigated for this crime. They will guide you the best defense options which can result in the elimination of case.