In 2021, PNC.com published an article titled “The Startling Rise of Fraud and Identity Theft During the Coronavirus Pandemic,” which warned the public to watch out for fraudsters seeking access to personal information by claiming to represent banks, hospitals, and other institutions. It also detailed “phishing” and “smishing” tactics, in which scammers pose as financial institutions through email and text messages. These messages often request sensitive information and contain links to fake login pages that capture victims’ usernames and passwords. Millions have fallen prey to such attacks.
Today, identity theft persists as a significant problem. A recent article lists 20 different types of identity theft and fraud. Several crooks’ tactics, from phishing and hacking to old-fashioned wallet stealing, are discussed on iwatchdog.com. It is worth being familiar with these methods in order to easily recognize them and prevent becoming a victim.
In the age of artificial intelligence, criminals have access to highly advanced tools. According to Thomson Reuters, “PassGAN, an AI-driven password-cracking tool,” decrypted “51% of passwords … in less than a minute, 65% in less than an hour, 71% within a day, and 81% within a month.”
Consumers are rightly concerned, and identity theft protection agencies are taking advantage of this. “The global identity theft protection services market size … is projected to grow from USD 14.94 billion in 2024 to USD 41.81 billion by 2032,” reports Fortune Business Insights.
Whether we subscribe to identity theft protection services or carefully guard our accounts and information ourselves, most agree it’s worth the investment.
The First Identity Theft Case
In heaven, Lucifer aspired to be God, saying in his heart, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; … I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13, 14).
In Eden, under the guise of a serpent, Lucifer swapped his identity with God’s, portraying himself as trustworthy and benevolent and God as a liar. He promised Eve that she would “be like God” (Genesis 3:5) by eating from the one tree God had prohibited. Without fully realizing what she was doing, Eve believed the serpent’s lies and ate the forbidden fruit, allowing Satan to successfully hijack God’s identity.
Countless multitudes since have continued to fall for the enemy’s fraudulent narrative that God cannot be trusted.
Doctrinal Distortions
Jesus taught that the devil “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). One of the enemy’s most effective devices for obscuring God’s true identity has been false doctrine.
Although the serpent himself started the myth that humans “will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4) for disobeying God, misguided Christian ministers have perpetuated the lie for ages, teaching that we possess immortal souls. Tragically, this error, combined with others, such as eternal torment in hell and the predestination of certain individuals to that cruel fate with no other option provided to them, paints a hideous portrait of God. Who can blame the millions who have turned away in disgust?
The Bible, on the other hand, states it is God “who alone has immortality” (1 Timothy 6:16) and “the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20), not live on in torment. Scripture also clearly teaches that the eternal destiny of each individual is not an arbitrary decree of God but is determined by their own choice as to whom they serve (Joshua 24:15; Matthew 7:13, 14).
Don’t Believe the Lies
Satan also seeks to replace the true identity of God’s children with a disheartening counterfeit.
He wants us to believe that we are awful, unlovable failures who cannot live up to God’s perfect standards and don’t belong in His kingdom. When we sin, the enemy tries to overwhelm us with shame to convince us that we are unworthy of God’s love. We can indeed do nothing to earn God’s love, but that is because He already loves us without restraint! “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
While “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), living as God’s holy children is possible. Jesus promised, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
He “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24).
In Christ, we are overcomers!
God’s Identity Theft Protection Plan
We don’t have to be swindled by Satan’s identity games. God has provided us with an identity theft protection plan—His Word! The Bible exposes the devil for what he is, a liar and a thief (John 10:10), and guards the true identity of our heavenly Father and His children.
How familiar are you with God’s identity theft protection plan?
Learn more about the Bible’s reliability here.
Read about the human soul and death at truthaboutdeath.com, and better understand the Bible truth about hell by visiting helltruth.com.