Familial Identity Theft

In 2021, nearly 42 million U.S. residents were identity theft victims (Terrell, 2022). Nearly one-third of victims had their identity stolen by a relative (LaDue, 2016). This type of identity theft is known as familial identity theft.  Limited prior research has focused on this type of identity theft.  This study utilized a qualitative approach to answer the research queston, ““What happens in families in which an individual has his/her identity stolen by a family member?”.  Preliminary themes that emerged from the data include Offender Mental Health Concerns, Polyvictimization, and Relational Impacts.  Implications for theory are discussed.