Bank fraud can take the form of a number of crimes, including loan fraud, embezzlement by a bank employee, identity theft derived from using bank account numbers, forgery, counterfeiting, and even bank securities fraud, which might involve Ponzi schemes or the creation of fictitious banks. Additionally, bank fraud may be tied in with other types of crimes, such as wire fraud or Internet fraud. Loan fraud may occur when a person purposely uses false information in order to obtain a loan to which he or she would never normally be entitled, through the use of inflated appraisals, second mortgages, and/or using a false identity. Bank employees may commit embezzlement by skimming money from the different types of bank transactions. Forgery and counterfeiting often occur when banks are involved, and particularly, bank employees. Finally, sophisticated bank securities fraud may result in scams that result in significant losses for investors. All of these crimes are punishable under state and federal laws, and their penalties may vary.