 TITLE: What Is Identity Theft? CONTENT: How Identity Theft Can Affect You\n---------------------------------\nOnce a thief has your information, they can do several things with it, including:\n*   Open fraudulent credit cards.\n*   File phony health insurance claims.\n*   Use your existing bank or credit card accounts to make unauthorized purchases.\n*   Sell it to other thieves.\n*   File a fraudulent tax return or steal your tax refund.\n*   Access your financial accounts and steal your money.\n*   Commit child identity theft using your child's information.\nDepending on the type of theft that occurs, and how the criminal uses your information, identity theft can result in immediate financial loss, damage to your credit and emotional distress. It can also take anywhere from less than a day to several months or even years to resolve the issue.\nAs you work on recovering from identity theft, you may end up dealing with late payments, medical bills, and even IRS penalties requiring investigations and long-term assistance if you are a tax identity theft victim. It can also result in losing account access, having your personal accounts taken over by thieves and general loss of data privacy. END