We usually think of identity theft in terms of money. The identity thief wants to use your good credit to purchase things he or she wants, to write cash advance checks on your credit cards, or to drain your checking account.

There’s a second reason for stealing your identity: To steal your personal history along with your financial reputation.

The goal may be something as simple as needing a new identity in order to rent an apartment – if the thief has run out in the middle of the night leaving landlords with a trashed apartment and rent due.

But it could be more. It could be for the purpose of gaining employment.

You’ve no doubt read that ex-convicts have a tough time finding work – especially if their prison sentences had something to do with embezzlement or forgery. By the same token, people who have repeatedly lost jobs for theft, insubordination, or excessive absences or tardiness do carry that reputation with them. After a while, finding a new job becomes more and more difficult.

Others, seeking jobs that require verifiable training or academic degrees are out in the cold when they don’t have it.

And that’s where your identity comes in. Your stellar reputation and/or your education can be their ticket to a dream job for your thief. And they won’t even feel like they’re doing anything terrible – because they aren’t actually hurting you. Right?

No, wrong. Because if they take a job, their employer will report their earnings to the IRS – in your name. And you won’t know it until you get a very unfriendly letter from the Internal Revenue Service.

The letter could take one of two forms: Telling you that you failed to report income, or telling you that you already filed your income taxes and already received a refund, and asking you why you are filing twice for the same year.

Just imagine your shock when the IRS says you have taxes due on an additional $20,000, $30,000, or even $60,000 worth of income. If your thief was smart, he or she claimed about 12 dependents, so didn’t pay much tax.

Be safe – look at your free credit report often, and actually read it. If you see a new address, or a new employer who is not your own, contact the credit bureau immediately and begin work to stop the identity theft.

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