I would compare both types of identity theft to church attendance; many participate but few really understand. Most people know what identity theft is, but very few realize how common and easy it is to steal someone's identity. In the literal sense of the word, 1.4 million identities were stolen in 2018. This resulted in a loss of $1.48 billion due to identity theft in 2018 alone. While up to 27 years in prison is the expected sentence for an identity thief, that doesn't stop them at all. No type of monetary identity theft could ever compare to someone stripping another of everything that defines them, throwing them into a category, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell of a human being. This metaphorical type of identity theft isn't measurable, but it happens every single day. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Literal identity theft has increased exponentially over the last decade due to the advancement of technologies and everything that has become electronic. Everything is online these days, so all it takes is one hack of a computer and a thief will have all the information they need to access a bank account wherever they want or to order something online. It has become easy to steal credit card information, banking passwords, or even medical information to access prescription drugs. In some of the worst cases, friends and family steal valuable information from each other for a few thousand dollars, or whatever they can steal from their relatives. Empish Thomas has been the victim of identity theft twice. His first experience dates back to 1996, when a newly hired colleague stole some employees' wallets, including Thomas. The thief continued to buy groceries, designer clothes, perfume and even tried to rent an apartment in his name using his credit card and Social Security numbers. By this time, Thomas had frozen all his accounts and called the police on the apartment. Luckily for her, a few weeks later she received a phone call informing her that the thief had been arrested and she was able to get her money back. After her first experience, she considered herself educated about identity theft and was taking every precaution to prevent it from happening again. The second time Empish Thomas' identity was stolen was a completely different story. Ms. Thomas battled fading vision and could still read and see colors in 1996. In 2006, when the crime took place, she was completely blind. Empish Thomas went out to dinner with a close friend and her son, but first stopped at the ATM to withdraw money for the meal. She had trouble using the machine because there was no braille on the touchscreen, so she told her friend her PIN and received the money. After arriving at the restaurant, she went to the bathroom and left her wallet on the table. A few days after dinner, Thomas noticed a $400 withdrawal from his bank account and immediately contacted the bank to report the fraud. She explained that she had not made any transactions at that ATM, but asked her friend to help her with another ATM, because it was not accessible to her. The bank representative informed her that it wasn't fraud because they released the PIN, even though she was blind and literally couldn't access the machine without help. Thomas then called his girlfriend and they both realized very quickly who the culprit was. He then called the anti-fraud department of.