NCJ Number
223729
Date Published
2008
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Drawing on semistructured interviews with 59 offenders convicted of identity (ID) theft and incarcerated in Federal prisons, this study describes their motivation for committing ID theft, the risks they associate with the crime, the strategies they used to locate the personal information of the victim and convert this information into cash, and the skills required to commit their offenses.
Abstract
The primary motivation for ID theft was to obtain goods and/or cash that surpassed offenders’ previous incomes from crime or legitimate employment, under a perceived low risk of being detected, found, and arrested. The most common method of obtaining a victim’s information was to buy it. Information was purchased from employees who worked at banks, credit agencies, mortgage companies, departments of motor vehicles, and other businesses that store personal information on customers. Most offenders used this information to acquire or produce additional identity-related documents, such as driver’s licenses or State identification cards. Some offenders created the cards themselves with software and appropriate materials. The most common strategy for profiting from stolen identities was to apply for credit cards in the victims’ names. Another common strategy was to produce counterfeit checks. Identity thieves claimed that having good social skills was an important personal quality in being able to “pass” as a regular customer in stores and banks. Technical skills were also important in producing fraudulent documents. Based on these findings, suggestions are offered for preventing ID theft and the use of the information to commit fraud. Suggestions incorporate well-known situational crime prevention techniques, including increasing the effort an offender must use in order to acquire and convert information, increasing the risks of getting caught, removing excuses to justify their crimes, and changing offenders’ perceptions of punishment. 38 references