NCJ Number
177461
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 26 Issue: 4 Dated: April 1999 Pages: 36-39
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the methods used by criminals to steal a person's identity for the purposes of committing crimes against that person or concealing their true identity while committing crimes under the name of the person whose identity was stolen.
Abstract
According to the U.S. Secret Service, which has jurisdiction over credit card fraud and false documents, losses to victims and institutions in its identity-fraud investigations were approximately $750 million in 1998. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a private consumer advocacy group, estimates that 40,000 people a year have their identities stolen. Credit reporting companies indicate that fraud inquiries have increased from less than 12,000 a year in 1992 to more than 500,000 today. There are a variety of tactics that identity thieves use to obtain valuable personal information, including stealing a wallet or purse, obtaining access to credit reports and personnel records, mail theft, and the use of the Internet to access computerized personal information. The targets of these identity thieves tend to be affluent credit-worthy consumers, whose financial status may be assumed from the specific neighborhoods in which they live. Stolen identities can be used to apply for driver's licenses, telephone numbers, car loans, and charge cards. Stolen identities can also be used to steal benefits, such as pensions and Social Security payments. The U.S. Congress recently enacted The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, which makes it a Federal crime to steal another person's identity for economic gain and is punishable with a prison sentence from 3 to 25 years. This is a step in the right direction.