Editing Identity theft (section)

=== Synthetic identity theft ===
A variation of identity theft that has recently become more common is ''synthetic identity theft'', in which identities are completely or partially fabricated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.leagle.com/decision/2009567417bbr1501566|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150719051854/http://www.leagle.com/decision/2009567417bbr150_1566|url-status=dead|title=In Re Colokathis &#124; 417 B.R. 150 (2009)|archive-date=19 July 2015|website=Leagle}}</ref> The most common technique involves combining a real [[social security number]] with a name and birthdate other than the ones that are simply associated with the number. Synthetic identity theft is more difficult to track as it doesn't show on either person's credit report directly but may appear as an entirely new file in the [[credit bureau]] or as a subfile on one of the victim's credit reports. Synthetic identity theft primarily harms the creditors who unwittingly grant the fraudsters credit. Individual victims can be affected if their names become confused with the synthetic identities, or if negative information in their subfiles impacts their credit ratings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/identity_theft_20070516_a1.asp |title=Detecting synthetic identity fraud |access-date=21 September 2008 |last=McFadden |first=Leslie |date=16 May 2007 |work=Bankrate.com |pages=1–2 }}</ref>