ID theft criminals usually remain invisible, carrying out their crimes in secret, often without the victims even knowing they have had their identities stolen until it is too late. But now 25 images have been released online showing the faces of suspected ID thieves.
Crimestoppers released the images of the suspected criminals online after the suspects attempted to apply for various official documents like passports and driving licences using fake details, which is a common tactic of ID thieves.
ID theft is the most common type of fraud in the UK. Indeed, according to Crimestoppers, it accounted for nearly half of the recorded fraud last year. It is hoped that these images of the suspects will help to raise awareness of the issue and will hopefully lead to more information about the suspects.
ID theft may seem relatively minor compared to more serious crimes. However, the people applying for the fake documents are often criminal gangs, and they then use the documents to help them carry out more serious crimes like smuggling drugs or firearms, or for trafficking people. ID theft can also cause untold distress to the victims whose identities are stolen.
Crimestoppers is asking people to share the images of the suspects on social media to spread awareness of the issue of ID theft and to hopefully help to catch the perpetrators before they strike again.
Image courtesy of James Barker / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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