Crimes related to identity theft have been called the fastest growing crimes in America. This class of crimes ranges from simple purse-snatching to elaborately devised schemes run by large criminal organizations. The crimes themselves range from burglary to mail theft to Internet website cloning.

Just as identity theft as a crime has been increasing, a whole industry has developed around offering identity theft protection solutions. There is an incredible need for such services as it has been estimated that identity theft affects one in four US households.