By description, theft is any form of unlawful acquisition of someone else's belongings without his (or her) permission.
What are the top 4 types of theft?
There are four different types of theft namely: Robbery, shoplifting, identity theft and auto theft. Once an individual is convicted of any of these types of theft, he is bound to face a harsh punishment. Let us briefly look at each category of theft and the forms of punishment that one is likely to get for committing them.
Robbery
Robbery refers to an act whereby an individual maliciously acquires another person's property either by use of threats or force. A legal interpretation of this definition shows that; there must be use of direct force or threats. For instance, if a thief points a dangerous object at the victim during the act of theft, then it automatically becomes a case of robbery. Robbery is further sub-categorized into different degrees depending on the magnitude of threats and weapon used. A person found guilty of robbery is subjected to different types of punishments with the maximum sentence being life imprisonment.
Shoplifting
The second type of theft is shoplifting. It can be described as a form of crime whereby a person takes goods away without the intention of paying the vendor. Though previously this type of theft never received much public attention, nowadays (especially with the financial downturn) many business owners will not tolerate any cases of shoplifting. In general, shoplifting can be subdivided into three subcategories namely: misdemeanor petty theft, grand theft and infractions. Each of these represents different degrees of shoplifting depending on the amount involved. If one is found guilty of shoplifting, he is bound to pay a fine, be put on probation and often mandated to take a course to help stop this disorder.
Identity Theft
This type of theft involves falsely acquiring someone else's identity and pretending that it is yours. We have different types of identity theft namely: financial identity theft, criminal identity theft, identity cloning, fabrication and medical identity theft among others. Some of the most common criminal activities that are categorized under identity theft include: drug smuggling, money laundering, cyber crimes and smuggling. This type of crime involves malicious acquisition of someone else's private information e.g through credit cards, hacking of online accounts, misuse of the social security number and impersonation. A person found guilty of identity theft can serve up to 5 years in jail.
Auto theft
Auto theft or motor vehicle theft refers to the act of obtaining (or attempting to obtain) someone else's car. There are different types of auto theft. The most common ones include:
*Theft of a lone car either by breaking into it and tampering with the normal starting of the vehicle (i.e. through hotwiring or towing).
*Theft with car keys.
*Opportunistic car theft (this occurs when the owner forgets to remove the car keys).
*Carjacking
*Fraudulent Theft.
A person found guilty of car theft can be imprisoned for up to 4 years and/or pay a fine of up to $10,000 depending on the degree of the offense.
As we have seen throughout this article, cases of theft are becoming more and more widespread. If a person has gotten into this form of habit, it is advisable to seek help from online theft classes before it is too late. Remember that a stitch in time saves nine.
