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All you need is a database, , you put in a password, you generate a specialized ID for a service, you give the service the specialized ID, if the ID gets used for anything else, you can track the ID's use and apprehend the person. That's all you need to end this problem. The utilization of multiple forms of static ID's is why it can occur. All you need is a random set of those ID's, and you can open any selection of services in someone else's name.. And the police department (in America) will not pursue cases that don't have "suspects". Obviously the government is attacking the problem from the wrong end. Fix the ID system.. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.201.173.189 ( talk) 21:08, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
hello. Ref. 4 is not reachable. regards. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.202.108.228 ( talk) 19:56, 21 February 2010 (UTC)
I have added an external link that references footnote 4 as well as footnotes 2 and 3. Vaheterdu ( talk) 14:28, 14 April 2010 (UTC)
Didn't we used to call this fraud? 83.245.26.153 07:51, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Yes but by calling it identity theft, it conveniently gains the acronym IT. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.203.84.63 ( talk) 21:49, 23 May 2010 (UTC)
Yeah, marriage sounds like a pretty serious consequence... ;) - furrykef ( Talk at me) 06:58, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)
This article is extremely biased towards the USA. It should be renamed Identity theft in the USA, or substantially re-written to make it "country neutral". I'll make a start with the latter in due course. Arcturus 19:15, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
I've altered the article to bring in some stuff about the UK, and clarify points relating mainly to the USA, but it could do with perspectives from other countries. Hopefully someone will contribute. Arcturus 23:29, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Probably some smartass vandal, but the phrase
looks glaringly less than objective. It's been referenced though, I haven't looked at the reference.. is it necessary to keep that little rant in the article? 124.177.178.52 14:54, 4 December 2007 (UTC)
the jackal actually steals at least three identities. his "true" identity is not discovered, even upon his death. -- 71.112.39.160 5 July 2005 03:19 (UTC)
does any one know the actual consequences, like fines or jail time, foe offenders? i'm doing a school thing and i would appreciate it if any one had any info over the subject to contact me at (jcarlisle@stu.shilder.k12.ok.us) please, any relevant information is welcome! thanks, jo
If you still need help, email me: dhs14@cornell.edu. If charged as a felony in California, sentence can be 16 months, 2 years or 3 years for the first count in a conviction, and somewhat less than that for each additional count a person is convicted of. Dhs14 07:13, 22 November 2006 (UTC)
Some people object to the term "identity theft" as identity is not something that can be stolen: victims don't cease being who they are. Well what a wonderful assurance that is. Honestly, is there any reason to keep this section? Is anyone actually offended by the term identity theft? If not, I think it should be taken out. Aplomado - U T C 00:57, 5 April 2006 (UTC)
I think this article tries to distinguish the many actual crimes and torts that is actually being committed and tying them to the use of impersonation to achieve those other crimes. We can't help it if ABC, NBC, and CBS cannot write stories accurately, they are going for ratings. John wesley 20:36, 12 May 2006 (UTC)
I have to agree. It may not be a legally correct term (although I believe in the USA it is a recognised crime) but it is a phrase in common usage. Too much of the article is taken up with this discussion - could we perhaps collapse it into the section called "alternative terms" ? -- Nickj69 07:27, 27 June 2006 (UTC)
It is incorrect to say "there is no such thing as "identity theft'". The term "identity theft" exists as a term in the public policy debate. You can say it's a misnomer or the term is not literally accurate because you can't steal an identity, but nonetheless, the term does exist.
Also, the term is used by more than just the media. It has been used by legislators, regulators and law enforcement to identify a crime. What ID theft consists of can be debated, however. Vaheterdu ( talk) 15:06, 9 April 2008 (UTC)
I'd like to put some of the criticism of the term back in, ideally along with information on how it came into wide use. The major issue is not just that identities can't be stolen, but the term changes the perceived victim of crime. What could be seen as a crime against, e.g. bank, now becomes a crime against the person being impersonated, and therefore apparently less the bank's responsibility to prevent and deal with.
I can think of two critics of the term right now:
Ross Anderson, in Security Engineering, p 32. See
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ILaY4jBWXfcC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32
and following Anderson's reference, What Price Privacy? (and why identity theft is about neither identity nor theft). by Adam Shostack and Paul Syverson. In Economics of Information Security, Chapter 11, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004.
Also Mitchell and Webb explained it nicely in a radio sketch. I think you might even be able to justify having a separate article on the term "Identity Theft", as separate from the activity, except that Wikipedia has no neat way to do that. sorsoup ( talk) 18:32, 4 December 2008 (UTC)
(Note: Capitol One is trying to make money off of me, even though I said I had my Identity stollen, I have proof they sent me a credit card, in hopes that I would enable it.. The Banks don't care who gets the credit cards, they just want someone to pay) BTW, Also keep in mind some of the people here are the ones thieving, you can expect they will be here to confuse people.. So if you read anything that looks like a objection that Identity can't be stollen, it's someone just trying to distract people from the problem and likely trying to avoid solving the problem, which is easy to solve.. Take a look at Paypal, they've already fixed the problem. It's that the methods of identifying people in existence are old and outdated and need to be updated, fixed.. Instead we are just layering bureaucracy on this archaic crap 108.201.173.189 ( talk) 21:18, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
Although it is informative I have to say I disagree with some major points of the article.
Take the first sentence - Identity theft (or identity fraud) is a technically incorrect term used by the media to describe a crime, tort or other harmful act by deliberately impersonating an individual.
I don't believe the term is incorrect.
Surely identity theft is the process of stealing the data required to impersonate someone to then commit a crime, such as credit card fraud? You can't commmit the fraud without my personal data hence you need to steal it (I won't give it to you). Since my identity in society is embodied by that data, you have indeed stolen my identity.
Technically (or more accurately 'legally') you may not have stolen anything but that would depend upon local laws and interpretation.
If no one objects strenuously I will attempt to rewrite the intro and we can see what people think. We can retain the "accuracy of the term" section to debate the correct technical/legal terminology.
Thoughts? -- Nickj69 10:24, 24 June 2006 (UTC)
'== calm down people its just a term you all know what it means. =='''Italic text —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.7.46.121 ( talk) 13:30, 15 September 2009 (UTC)
Since I was on a roll, I decided to do a rewrite. I've tried to source more information and I have removed everything that was argumentative, speculative or unverified. I've also done some copy-editing and added some more country specific information. It would be good if someone could proof it for me and correct any mistakes. -- Nickj69 13:37, 30 June 2006 (UTC)
I'm new to this but a Wikipedia editor (or whatever they're called--the volunteers toward the top of the pecking order) suggested the site could use some help in law enforcement areas. I note that the entry on identity theft (which is my area of specialization--has been for the last 7 years) doesn't have anything on what to do if you discover you're a victim. Should it, or is that beyond the scope of what Wikipedia does? I could put something together, or I could post the handout my department gives to victims who report the crimes. [User:dhs14] 23:41, 21 November 2006 (PDST)
Reverted banned users edits. Please add back high quality edits under your own user name. Thanks, -- FloNight talk 20:27, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
I've noticed that this article has been edited numerous times by anonymous IP editors, and reverted pretty much every time. While not clearly falling under the 3RR, it does seem like a good candidate for semi-protection, so that people who want to add their links will at least have a few days to become familiar with the Wikipedia Community standards first, to know that spam links are inappropriate, etc. Dansiman 22:32, 13 August 2006 (UTC)
I wonder if those contributors who haven't yet realised that there is an entire world outside the borders of the USA could perhaps get a lesson in Geography. Here's a classic example from the first part of the article - using another arguably illegal reason to victimize individuals who display their personal information in good faith, such as landlord-related fraud, where the Patriot Act is used to create suspicion on prospective tenants, and then using their personal information to commit fraud. this is a very common practice among slumlords, who violate Civil Rights and use the right to request background checks to defend their legal policies, which are later used to commit crimes; the laws themselves create this conflict and is a type of identity theft created and enforced by Federal law Arcturus 16:21, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
Nickj69, Amplmado Acturus, RKlawton. Bryan – Your struggle in associating criminal activity with the term "identity theft" is not unsual. You are not alone. Most thinking deeply about the issue and criminal fraud investigators with even a modicum of experience struggle with the term alongside you.
We struggle because the term “identity theft” is truly a misnomer. It is an ill-conceived, albeit popular, phrase that has become entrenched in North American - much to the chagrin of Europeans. Rhetoric on the plethora of North American web sites and in the media tends to focus on a single segment of the much broader issue of all "identification-based crime". I carefully choose the term “identification-based”, because the actual crime drawing attention more often than not is a criminal activity that happens to involve the misappropriated use of someone else's personal identification particulars. The crimes range from dead-beat dads avoiding their financial obligations, to stock market manipulation, money laudering and terrorism - to mention a few.
The actual offence for using someone’s personal identification particulars for an illegal purpose in America may be found in the U.S. Code, Title 18, Part I, Chapter 43, False Personation. The Canadian equilant is Personation, Sec. 403 of the Criminal Code of Canada. In all likelihood the Europeans have a similar offence.
I found a particularly enlightening paper prepared for U.K. Cabinet Office [July 2002], "Identity Fraud: A Study" [www.identitycards.gov.uk/downloads/id_fraud-report.pdf.]. The article asserts that the term "identity” triggers discussion at the philosophical and psychological levels.
This U.K. paper lists three basic elements to a human "identity": biometrics, biographical information and legal attribution [kindly note my contribution to the original U.K. terminology]. This distinction becomes important to problem solvers - in particular those in law and regulatory enforcement intent on identifying the root causes of crimes. At the least the appropriate term may be "identification" - as in "identification documents" and not identity documents.
Using the term “theft” may equally present its unqiue set of problems. It implies the unauthorized deprivation of use of one's property - or something to that effect. It will take a better legal mind than mine to debate that personal identification particulars are property under the definitions afforded it in common-law penal codes. Perhaps this is why the drafters of the Identity Theft Assumption and Deterrence Act [2003] proposed amendments to Title 18, Part I, Chapter 27, s.1028 of the U.S. Code, which concerns “Fraud and False Statements.”
“Embezzlement and Theft” are addressed in Chapter 31.
As best as I can determine, the terminology emerged somewhere in the mid 1990s in reaction to consumer complaints lodged with the Federal Trade Commission about the use of their personal identification particulars to obtain cash and/or merchandize. This crime is dependent upon linking personal identification particulars and social security number with a credit history in good standing maintained by credit-rating services. My personal choice of terms would be to refer to this particular phenomenon as a “credit-dependent” financial crime.
How credit card and debit card fraud got into the “identity-theft” mix is beyond me. Credit and debit cards aren’t classified as identification documents. They are defined in the U.S. Code as access devices [Title 18, Part I, Chapter 47, s. 1029]. Credit cards have their own offence sections in Canadian law as well. I don't know about England or Continental Europe.
None-the-less I don’t think the term can be altered in North America, at least not in the short run. Perhaps Wikipedia is a perfect venue to leave the caption in tact, because at least that's what most North American's would search under, and then to clarify what using the term represents in law.
Graeme R. Newman attempts to address this challenge in his “Identity Theft” guide for The Center on Problem-oriented Policing [www.popcenter.org/Problems/problem-identity_theft.htm]. He distinguished financial crimes from concealment crimes, perhaps in a struggle to squeeze the broader base of identification-based crimes into the “identity-theft” terminology.
Particularly noteworthy as well is Mr. Newman’s distinction in describing prevention strategies between “personal guardianship” and “agency guardianship”. If the Wikipedia site is to describe what consumers need to do to protect their personal information, perhaps it should also discuss the "agency guardianship" commitments required by governments and corporations, which house large volumes of personal information. The Privacy Rights Clearing House listing of reported exposures of data in America is staggering.
My first instinct was to edit the Wikipedia site on “identity theft”. I have noted and honour the concern about the number of edits already undertaken. Thought perhaps it best to consult all before moving forward. [alternation_jrl] 24.226.90.12 00:12, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
The 2002 UK Cabinet paper is a very good start. However, the concept of identity and it elements from the point of view of stealing it need a bit more thought, which seems to be occurring in some jurisdictions. These elements are:
- Foundation - the documented existence of an identity, such as a birth or naturalisation certificate. Obviously documents that change identity, such as a marriage certificate or deed poll, also come into play. Added complications are transliteration and or translation of names between scripts and languages, and the issue of cultures where it is possible for a person to have several legitimate names derived from accepted custom and practice. A problem with foundation identities is that if the holder dies in another jurisdiction information about this event may not be available to cancel the identity elsewhere (similarly if the subject has changed jurisditions).
- Physical characteristics, biometrics, no need to say more.
- Activity in the community, now being called 'social footprint' in some circles. This establishes that the identity is active, ideally since the claimed birth! The theory is that it is difficult to create a false social footprint with any depth. This footprint may be documented by allocated identifiers such as address, User Id, membership number, student number, - a potentially infinite list - that can be linked to a foundation identity and in some cases to a biometric. Its the summ of all these parts that actually gives a 'real' identity.
Fraudulent identities can take three forms: · False identity, the identity is fictitious. · Stolen identity, there is such a person who becomes a victim and may suffer tangible and intangible losses from the use of their stolen identity. However, the legitimate owner of the identity may be dead. · Borrowed identity, the lender doing so voluntarily (eg a relative) or involuntarily (eg a coerced person). The identity owner may not report its misuse and may protect the borrower. 24.226.90.12 14:38, 11 March 2007 (UTC)alternation_jrl
Nfe 03:39, 29 January 2007 (UTC)
Would it not be right to remove the tag from the header of this article that states the article does not have a worldwide view. The article now has content from, and discussions on, many regions including USA, Asia and Europe? Mike ( talk) 16:54, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
Between advice on how to avoid and how to response to ID theft, this article is in danger of violating Wikipedia is not an instruction manual. A lot of this may need to go. Robert A.West ( Talk) 14:59, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
I have deleted the two sections telling people how to protect their identity and what to do if it is stolen. As said before, Wikipedia is not an instruction manual. From that section we are told Wikipedia articles should not include instructions or advice (legal, medical, or otherwise), suggestions, or contain "how-to"s. These two sections onlky purpose is to give people advice and instruction. 141.211.175.235 15:12, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
Whoa. I was about to add a comment about how the section "Techniques for obtaining and exploiting personal information for identity theft" is practically giving people ideas for how to commit identity theft, but here it's revealed that "how-to" sections for avoiding identity theft have been deleted while the information for where people find information to commit identity theft is left in. How does this double standard work? -- 97.90.125.162 ( talk) 02:23, 10 May 2010 (UTC)
I think the challenge we face is writing a feature on something that doesn't exist - "identity theft". As best as I can determine the term came to life when privacy rights advocates expressed concern on behalf of consumers about credit-dependent crime. The Federal Trade Commission picked up on it, started to use it, and now it has become common parlance. We can't change the word. The danger is that people thinking theft may not consider fraud interventions in reducing the opportunity to commit identification fraud. I removed references to credit-rating services in recognizing that orginal research breaks the Wikipedia rules. Bruce Schneier writes a lot about the dangers in the centralization of information. Security may be good, but it is never perfect. When there is a security breach it is huge, sometimes tens of thousands of sets of personal identifiers. I too would like to see the "how to sections" removed from the Wikipedia site. People can get this from the FTC or any number of other sources.
-- 76.244.68.147 ( talk) 22:39, 31 July 2011 (UTC)== How to write the term Identity Theft == I was wondering whether the term 'Identity Theft' should appear with both I of Identity and T of Theft as capitals or in small letters. On Wikipedia pages it is a combinatin of both. Some times it appears as small and on other times as capitals. I believe we need to be consistent. Can someone please clarify how we shall use it. AmirHayat 11:07, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
Would it make more sense: a) to put the term in italics - which would be very repetitive, or b) simply capitalize the term and to state that it is a proper name given to a particular genre of identification-based crime? We capitalize given names, surnames, city names etc? What do English majors think?
I would not want to be a police officer or some other person in authority testifying in a court of law that I arrested a suspect for "identity theft". That could get a little uncomfortable in cross examination with astute legal representation.
None-the-less the term has become the stuff of pop culture. It is here to stay. We can't negate the importance of consumers becoming more aware about abuses of their personal information and the exploitation of their credit-worthiness. On the other hand, problem-solvers [e.g. www.popcenter.org] recognize that the term is misleading. In considering how to identify and address the root causes off all crime that incluces a forged means of identification, there is insufficient research to determine which is the higher risk exposure - personal guardianship or agency guardianship [see Privacy Rights Clearing House: A Chronology of Data Breaches]. The problem with concealment crime is that it is very difficult to measure, where with credit-dependent crime we know within a few months and the statistics are centrally gathered.
Therefore, should our efforts in Wikipedia on this topic expressly limit the use of the term to describe a topic that exploits the credit-worthiness of consumers to commit fraud? Consumers, privacy rights advocates and the press are locked onto the term. It cannot be changed. 24.226.90.12 14:33, 11 March 2007 (UTC)alternation_jrl
Weren't there some old Citibank commercials regarding identity theft? I think there were some funny ones with weird voice-overs...
This article is one of the worst examples in Wikipedia of US-centrism. Most of the article is really from a US perspective and the whole thing should be renamed Identity theft (USA). Then a new article called Identity theft could be created which would give a world view on the subject. As it stands this article is of limited use to anyone outside the US. 86.31.78.1 16:21, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
I like it when they put the chickens in the donkey coup —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.130.66.109 ( talk) 20:08, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
I work for the America's Most Wanted Safety Center, a new branch of America's Most Wanted getting away from the capturing of criminals, and branching out to all aspects of safety. I feel a link to our post about identity theft would be appropriate and mutually beneficial, being that America's Most Wanted has already educated millions of Americans about it on television. The link is http://www.amw.com/safety/?p=144 please consider it. Jrosenfe 14:10, 22 June 2007 (UTC)
I'd be interested to see discussion here of how it is that "bank fraud" was transmuted into "identity theft", with the underlying assumption that if a bank halfway across the country hands a criminal money based on a social security number and a birthdate, that it's somehow the fault of the person mimicked rather than the gullible banker. This seems an exceptionally striking example of the re-engineering of public perceptions to turn the problems of the wealthy into the responsibility of the poor. 70.15.116.59 ( talk) 18:53, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
I edited this section because I thought it did not reflect how hard protecting personal data can be. The original wording sounded a little like "she shouldn't have worn that short skirt" to me, but I am an ID theft victim myself so if I'm too biased please feel free to fix it.
My personal feeling is that ID Theft is what used to be just called fraud, but the information age and the rise of information brokers and large government databases have tended to throw the consequences of the fraud onto the person being impersonated. I'd like to see some addition to address this, if I can find a good reference. Also, there is not much mention in here of the role of fake or illegally obtained IDs . —Preceding unsigned comment added by Afpre ( talk • contribs) 14:37, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
Second sentence of article "The most common form of identity theft is credit card fraud.". No. Credit card fraud is FRAUD, straight and simple. It's NOT identity theft. This is the type of statement used by governments to over-inflate the occurrence of identity theft. I suggest we remove this sentence. 86.27.59.185 ( talk) 11:08, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
This is true - credit card fraud is not generally considered identity theft. As the previous post states, it's only IDT if a person's personal information is used to open an account fraudulently - or if a person's personal info is used to access an already open account (see account takeover under credit card fraud). That second sentence should be removed. The rest of the introduction functions just as well without it. (And in my opinion, the government doesn't inflate the numbers as much as the media does. They take gov't stats and exaggerate them to make ID theft more threatening and newsworthy...just my opinion, remember.) Stickfigureparade ( talk) 05:58, 22 February 2008 (UTC)
This is an interesting debate and one that is ongoing in a number of circles. The thought used to be that using another person's credit card to charge goods and services without their permission was called account takeover and not identity theft. But the Federal Trade Commission started becoming the de facto authority on ID theft through its annual reports on the crime. As a result, under ID theft you now have "credit card fraud" as a component. And that is broken down into "existing accounts" (account takeover)and "new accounts". The definitive nature of identity theft has always been a problem. But it now seems like that horse is out of the proverbial barn.([User:vaheterdu]) 29 May 2009
I think a link to the foollowing site is potentially worth doing as it is an assistance to anyone who is worried about Identity Theft and would like to know how to protect themselves in their day to day lives. http://identity-theft.weebly.com Scaifea ( talk) 16:54, 26 June 2008 (UTC)
Thanks for the opportunity TexasAndroid - I have recently been developing a number of information/education sites, hence the reason why I was here linking to the various sites. I apologise if my actions seemed 'spammy' that wasn't my intention, my intention was to add genuinely new and different sources of information to a number of topics. In future I will discuss the addition of any links. Scaifea ( talk) 09:41, 27 June 2008 (UTC)
I added a short paragraph about identity theft protection services in the U.S. These services have received a lot of attention and I believe some information about them is appropriate and would be welcomed by readers. Let me know if you think otherwise, though... -- Wpbl ( talk) 20:52, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
I made a quick edit to the bulleted list of how data is obtained since there was one entry that did not fit the format, read rather strangely, and didn't get the point across. I hope that my addition improves this. I also added a line regarding the California and Wisconsin Offices of Privacy protection, as these seem to be very good resources for the residents of those states. I added the links as references since they are state-specific, but they could be links too if others think they'd be valuable. Jlygrnmigt ( talk) 15:43, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
Right now, identity fraud redirects to this page. Fraud and thieft are different concepts that would be worth to separate. A definition: Identity fraud is a synonym of unlawful identity change. It indicates unlawful activities that use the identity of another person or of a non-existing person as a target or principal tool. A reference to be added: http://www.business.mcmaster.ca/IDTDefinition/defining/idfraudTCF.htm If there is not objection, I will make the change soon. -- Nabeth ( talk) 00:13, 5 March 2009 (UTC)
As referenced by the Wireless identity theft article tag: "It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Identity theft. (Discuss)"
Oppose: due to the amount of detail in both topics, it would be counterproductive to the parent article (this one) to merge the two. -- HarryZilber ( talk) 15:09, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
Oppose: Although "Wireless identity theft" deserves a summary paragraph in the "Identity theft" article, there are several distinct kinds of identity theft that should not all be merged into one bloated article. Greensburger ( talk) 19:43, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
Sorry, I do not understand why the section 'Cultural references' was removed with the message 'obscurity trim'. For me it does not look obscure at all, and besides I find the content useful (anchor 'Identity theft' to ciméma and literrature).
Having say that, there may be some very legitimate reasons (not enough notability?) to remove this part.
Note: I have never contributed in this section, and therefore I believe I am neutral on this.
Best regards -- Nabeth ( talk) 14:58, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
Should be nixed, IMO. With 2% of the public having their ID stolen, this would be an unmanageably huge list. If the info is interesting, it should be worked in elsewhere. I feel the info has no value, so even that isn't needed. -- Psrq ( talk) 20:34, 27 September 2009 (UTC)
This article needs to be recycled, and I do not mind personally that some content is removed. However if it is done, in particular from an anonymous user, it could be good to have an explanation, so as to really know if this is not vandalism. Please, if you do it, do not be afraid (from me) to changes things, but in the case you do it (even as an anonymous account), can you please provide an explanation? Thanks.
-- Nabeth ( talk) 16:19, 29 September 2009 (UTC)
Here is some content that had replaced the previous content:
According to the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center [1] and other sources, others for non-financial reasons - for instance, to receive praise or attention for the victim's achievements. This is sometimes referred to as identity theft in the media. [2]
Maybe this was some useful content (under == Types ==) but I have difficulty to determine if this originates from Identity Theft Resource Center. Please put it back if it make sense to you.
-- Nabeth ( talk) 16:28, 29 September 2009 (UTC)
References
As we all know Id theft is the most common crime that is happening in the United States. Thieves can steal your personal info in many ways. For example hacking into your computer, sending phishing emails, digging into your trash etc. A phishing email is an email that is sent by a third party pretending to be your bank, phone company, etc asking you to provide personal info. DONT RESPOND BACK! Companies dont ask customers to give out their personal info by email. Also like I say that thieves look into your trash and hack your computers to get personal info. Thats why if you are throwing away things that contain personal info make sure you shred those things first. Also if you have a computer at home make sure your computer has a firewall anti spyware and an antivirus on and up to date to make sure that it gets very difficult for anyone to steal your personal info. Now also if you are for example going online to your banks website when your press enter make sure it starts with https:// and make sure that there is a little lock on the bottom of the screen and when you click on it make sure that it says 128bit. This means that the page is secured. Also thieves are using the telephone to get your personal info so watch out! Dont give out any personal info unless you initiated the contact. Plus Monitor your bank accounts everyday for any fraudlent activity. When you get your statements also look for any charges that you did not make because even a charge to your credit or checking account is a sign of identity theft. Get a free copy of your credit reports every year from equifax experian and transunion. Also you might want to subscribe to an identity theft protection service. Eliminate paper bills because they can get lost or stolen by thieves and view your bills online instead. Take action immediately if your bills don't arrive on time! A missing bill can mean that someone changed your billing address to do bad things. Now when someone asks you for personal info such as your ssn ask why they need it? How are they going to safe guard it? Because you dont want that number to fall into the wrong hands. You also might want to remove your phone number from the directory because in the telephone directory it shows your names address and phone number so call your phone company and ask them to take your name off the directory and from the 411. (There is a small fee for that service). Now lets talk about what info are we carrying around never carry around your SSN and the reason why is because if your purse or wallet is lost or stolen you are giving a chance for a thief to commit id theft so that also means don't carry any debit cards or credit cards you don't use or any personal info that you are carrying around for no reason and leave it at home an a safe and secure place that means not in the living room, kitchen, or in any area where someone can access it because identity theft also happens like that for example if you are not home someone can get into your home and rob your info that also means that even people that visit you such as friends or relatives can steel your info if you leave that in an area where another person can reach it. Now Im going to talk to you about protecting your info from cashiers when giving your check, credit, or debit card while paying look it the cashier to make sure he doesn't do something that can surprise you later on. Also we got to watch out for skimming skimming is when you go to an ATM and you slide your card I think that they have a little camara or I really don't know how they get your card info but when you slide it it records your card information so definitely their is no way we can completely prevent id theft but we can take these steps to reduce our risk. I took my time to put this info here in wikipedia because Im sure that It's really going to help alot of us from being victims of id theft. Good Luck to all of you!!
Luis Moreno
The problem with Identity theft if you read my main comment at the very top is that it doesn't even have to happen in the first place. It occurs because institutions require different signs of identity and any of those can be replicated. The solution is to give each institution a special identity that is signed (with strong encryption) and is logged at a trusted ID holder, preferably the US government. It should be as simple as logging into a site like google, obtaining a unique ID, giving the institution (needing the proof) the unique ID .. They only need to validate it against the government's database. All the institution that receives the unique and qualified ID would need to know is that this ID verifiably is referenced in the government databases and leads to picture, address, and other such information of the ID holder. In fact, you could divulge everything, even information about your facebook, and such to the public. The key to this "working" is that you have a login and password and you keep the login and password private, and who here finds that difficult? Everytime you need to get a credit card or other such service, you only need to login, obtain a specialized ID, annotate what the ID is for, and then get the unique qualified ID, and give it to the institution..
Better yet would be to make it so that every institution publishes a promotional service code, and that that can be used to register the specialized ID, so that the link between the ID and the use is stronger. The more loosely you associate ID's, the easier ID theft is.. It's like a chain, would you rather have one point of failure or multiple points of failure? 99.45.96.255 ( talk) 17:50, 28 October 2012 (UTC)
to be understood as a suggestion: Nicknapping seems to become the term to describe identity theft to act as another person in the web (forums, social web). It seems to be worth to add the term in the article (?). focus_mankind ( focus_mankind) 17:18, 8 January 2010 (UTC)
I have added some information from the new CIFAS report about the mount of ID theft that occured in the UK in 2009. My grammer is not 100% great so someone might wish to check it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.26.23.81 ( talk) 16:02, 3 February 2010 (UTC)
why is there a debate on the probability of being a victim here? this is introducing bias immediately and shouldn't be done. after the government accountability office study, the remaining needs to be moved out Yourmanstan ( talk) 18:01, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
The article implied that identity fraud is rarely the result of data breaches; I've modified it to remove this invalid implication.
The http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/research/241full.pdf paper has some major errors; As noted, it is unpublished. IMO, this is for good reason. • Aside from a slew of basic grammatical errors, it fails to consider that • a great many breaches go unreported, or that • breach notification laws lead to the discovery of breaches. • It confabulates the percentage of ID theft connected with a reported breach with the percentage of ID theft that resulted from a breach. This confabulation, IMO, results in unwarranted conclusions. • A consumer is far more likely to be able to connect an incident of ID theft to their stolen wallet than to a breach that remained undetected or unreported. A consumer cannot connect an incident of ID theft to a breach that is undetected or unreported. • Its main conclusion is unwarranted because it is reached through a 'Comparison of reported identity theft rates by states with and without law' that does not consider:
...is full of trivial references to "identity theft". Now, I can see the notability of Michelle Brown's story: true story, high profile, made into a film. Also, Catch Me If You Can is the same. However, this article does not need to list all the times fiction has depicted identity theft; I don't see anything particularly notable or helpful to the reader informing them that Family Guy joked about identity theft. — Onore Baka Sama( speak | stalk) 17:47, 9 November 2010 (UTC)
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Hello !
I would like to put some more information about the "Identity theft" wikipedia page. Indeed, I think it can be interesting to write about the types of data theft, what kind of data can be stolen, how its data can be used and so on.
What do you think about it ? We can discuss about this subject if you want.
Thank you,
Camille
-- IAEP.CamilleR ( talk) 09:35, 27 September 2017 (UTC)
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As others have pointed out in the past, this article seems to be written from an almost pure US perspective. I must admit that looking for sources covering ID theft outside of the US has turned up with little to no results, but perhaps the article should be reworded/re-titled to more correctly reflect its bias to the US. TheUnnamedNewbie ( talk) 11:51, 19 February 2020 (UTC)
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All you need is a database, , you put in a password, you generate a specialized ID for a service, you give the service the specialized ID, if the ID gets used for anything else, you can track the ID's use and apprehend the person. That's all you need to end this problem. The utilization of multiple forms of static ID's is why it can occur. All you need is a random set of those ID's, and you can open any selection of services in someone else's name.. And the police department (in America) will not pursue cases that don't have "suspects". Obviously the government is attacking the problem from the wrong end. Fix the ID system.. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.201.173.189 ( talk) 21:08, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
hello. Ref. 4 is not reachable. regards. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.202.108.228 ( talk) 19:56, 21 February 2010 (UTC)
I have added an external link that references footnote 4 as well as footnotes 2 and 3. Vaheterdu ( talk) 14:28, 14 April 2010 (UTC)
Didn't we used to call this fraud? 83.245.26.153 07:51, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Yes but by calling it identity theft, it conveniently gains the acronym IT. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.203.84.63 ( talk) 21:49, 23 May 2010 (UTC)
Yeah, marriage sounds like a pretty serious consequence... ;) - furrykef ( Talk at me) 06:58, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)
This article is extremely biased towards the USA. It should be renamed Identity theft in the USA, or substantially re-written to make it "country neutral". I'll make a start with the latter in due course. Arcturus 19:15, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC)
I've altered the article to bring in some stuff about the UK, and clarify points relating mainly to the USA, but it could do with perspectives from other countries. Hopefully someone will contribute. Arcturus 23:29, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Probably some smartass vandal, but the phrase
looks glaringly less than objective. It's been referenced though, I haven't looked at the reference.. is it necessary to keep that little rant in the article? 124.177.178.52 14:54, 4 December 2007 (UTC)
the jackal actually steals at least three identities. his "true" identity is not discovered, even upon his death. -- 71.112.39.160 5 July 2005 03:19 (UTC)
does any one know the actual consequences, like fines or jail time, foe offenders? i'm doing a school thing and i would appreciate it if any one had any info over the subject to contact me at (jcarlisle@stu.shilder.k12.ok.us) please, any relevant information is welcome! thanks, jo
If you still need help, email me: dhs14@cornell.edu. If charged as a felony in California, sentence can be 16 months, 2 years or 3 years for the first count in a conviction, and somewhat less than that for each additional count a person is convicted of. Dhs14 07:13, 22 November 2006 (UTC)
Some people object to the term "identity theft" as identity is not something that can be stolen: victims don't cease being who they are. Well what a wonderful assurance that is. Honestly, is there any reason to keep this section? Is anyone actually offended by the term identity theft? If not, I think it should be taken out. Aplomado - U T C 00:57, 5 April 2006 (UTC)
I think this article tries to distinguish the many actual crimes and torts that is actually being committed and tying them to the use of impersonation to achieve those other crimes. We can't help it if ABC, NBC, and CBS cannot write stories accurately, they are going for ratings. John wesley 20:36, 12 May 2006 (UTC)
I have to agree. It may not be a legally correct term (although I believe in the USA it is a recognised crime) but it is a phrase in common usage. Too much of the article is taken up with this discussion - could we perhaps collapse it into the section called "alternative terms" ? -- Nickj69 07:27, 27 June 2006 (UTC)
It is incorrect to say "there is no such thing as "identity theft'". The term "identity theft" exists as a term in the public policy debate. You can say it's a misnomer or the term is not literally accurate because you can't steal an identity, but nonetheless, the term does exist.
Also, the term is used by more than just the media. It has been used by legislators, regulators and law enforcement to identify a crime. What ID theft consists of can be debated, however. Vaheterdu ( talk) 15:06, 9 April 2008 (UTC)
I'd like to put some of the criticism of the term back in, ideally along with information on how it came into wide use. The major issue is not just that identities can't be stolen, but the term changes the perceived victim of crime. What could be seen as a crime against, e.g. bank, now becomes a crime against the person being impersonated, and therefore apparently less the bank's responsibility to prevent and deal with.
I can think of two critics of the term right now:
Ross Anderson, in Security Engineering, p 32. See
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ILaY4jBWXfcC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32
and following Anderson's reference, What Price Privacy? (and why identity theft is about neither identity nor theft). by Adam Shostack and Paul Syverson. In Economics of Information Security, Chapter 11, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004.
Also Mitchell and Webb explained it nicely in a radio sketch. I think you might even be able to justify having a separate article on the term "Identity Theft", as separate from the activity, except that Wikipedia has no neat way to do that. sorsoup ( talk) 18:32, 4 December 2008 (UTC)
(Note: Capitol One is trying to make money off of me, even though I said I had my Identity stollen, I have proof they sent me a credit card, in hopes that I would enable it.. The Banks don't care who gets the credit cards, they just want someone to pay) BTW, Also keep in mind some of the people here are the ones thieving, you can expect they will be here to confuse people.. So if you read anything that looks like a objection that Identity can't be stollen, it's someone just trying to distract people from the problem and likely trying to avoid solving the problem, which is easy to solve.. Take a look at Paypal, they've already fixed the problem. It's that the methods of identifying people in existence are old and outdated and need to be updated, fixed.. Instead we are just layering bureaucracy on this archaic crap 108.201.173.189 ( talk) 21:18, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
Although it is informative I have to say I disagree with some major points of the article.
Take the first sentence - Identity theft (or identity fraud) is a technically incorrect term used by the media to describe a crime, tort or other harmful act by deliberately impersonating an individual.
I don't believe the term is incorrect.
Surely identity theft is the process of stealing the data required to impersonate someone to then commit a crime, such as credit card fraud? You can't commmit the fraud without my personal data hence you need to steal it (I won't give it to you). Since my identity in society is embodied by that data, you have indeed stolen my identity.
Technically (or more accurately 'legally') you may not have stolen anything but that would depend upon local laws and interpretation.
If no one objects strenuously I will attempt to rewrite the intro and we can see what people think. We can retain the "accuracy of the term" section to debate the correct technical/legal terminology.
Thoughts? -- Nickj69 10:24, 24 June 2006 (UTC)
'== calm down people its just a term you all know what it means. =='''Italic text —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.7.46.121 ( talk) 13:30, 15 September 2009 (UTC)
Since I was on a roll, I decided to do a rewrite. I've tried to source more information and I have removed everything that was argumentative, speculative or unverified. I've also done some copy-editing and added some more country specific information. It would be good if someone could proof it for me and correct any mistakes. -- Nickj69 13:37, 30 June 2006 (UTC)
I'm new to this but a Wikipedia editor (or whatever they're called--the volunteers toward the top of the pecking order) suggested the site could use some help in law enforcement areas. I note that the entry on identity theft (which is my area of specialization--has been for the last 7 years) doesn't have anything on what to do if you discover you're a victim. Should it, or is that beyond the scope of what Wikipedia does? I could put something together, or I could post the handout my department gives to victims who report the crimes. [User:dhs14] 23:41, 21 November 2006 (PDST)
Reverted banned users edits. Please add back high quality edits under your own user name. Thanks, -- FloNight talk 20:27, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
I've noticed that this article has been edited numerous times by anonymous IP editors, and reverted pretty much every time. While not clearly falling under the 3RR, it does seem like a good candidate for semi-protection, so that people who want to add their links will at least have a few days to become familiar with the Wikipedia Community standards first, to know that spam links are inappropriate, etc. Dansiman 22:32, 13 August 2006 (UTC)
I wonder if those contributors who haven't yet realised that there is an entire world outside the borders of the USA could perhaps get a lesson in Geography. Here's a classic example from the first part of the article - using another arguably illegal reason to victimize individuals who display their personal information in good faith, such as landlord-related fraud, where the Patriot Act is used to create suspicion on prospective tenants, and then using their personal information to commit fraud. this is a very common practice among slumlords, who violate Civil Rights and use the right to request background checks to defend their legal policies, which are later used to commit crimes; the laws themselves create this conflict and is a type of identity theft created and enforced by Federal law Arcturus 16:21, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
Nickj69, Amplmado Acturus, RKlawton. Bryan – Your struggle in associating criminal activity with the term "identity theft" is not unsual. You are not alone. Most thinking deeply about the issue and criminal fraud investigators with even a modicum of experience struggle with the term alongside you.
We struggle because the term “identity theft” is truly a misnomer. It is an ill-conceived, albeit popular, phrase that has become entrenched in North American - much to the chagrin of Europeans. Rhetoric on the plethora of North American web sites and in the media tends to focus on a single segment of the much broader issue of all "identification-based crime". I carefully choose the term “identification-based”, because the actual crime drawing attention more often than not is a criminal activity that happens to involve the misappropriated use of someone else's personal identification particulars. The crimes range from dead-beat dads avoiding their financial obligations, to stock market manipulation, money laudering and terrorism - to mention a few.
The actual offence for using someone’s personal identification particulars for an illegal purpose in America may be found in the U.S. Code, Title 18, Part I, Chapter 43, False Personation. The Canadian equilant is Personation, Sec. 403 of the Criminal Code of Canada. In all likelihood the Europeans have a similar offence.
I found a particularly enlightening paper prepared for U.K. Cabinet Office [July 2002], "Identity Fraud: A Study" [www.identitycards.gov.uk/downloads/id_fraud-report.pdf.]. The article asserts that the term "identity” triggers discussion at the philosophical and psychological levels.
This U.K. paper lists three basic elements to a human "identity": biometrics, biographical information and legal attribution [kindly note my contribution to the original U.K. terminology]. This distinction becomes important to problem solvers - in particular those in law and regulatory enforcement intent on identifying the root causes of crimes. At the least the appropriate term may be "identification" - as in "identification documents" and not identity documents.
Using the term “theft” may equally present its unqiue set of problems. It implies the unauthorized deprivation of use of one's property - or something to that effect. It will take a better legal mind than mine to debate that personal identification particulars are property under the definitions afforded it in common-law penal codes. Perhaps this is why the drafters of the Identity Theft Assumption and Deterrence Act [2003] proposed amendments to Title 18, Part I, Chapter 27, s.1028 of the U.S. Code, which concerns “Fraud and False Statements.”
“Embezzlement and Theft” are addressed in Chapter 31.
As best as I can determine, the terminology emerged somewhere in the mid 1990s in reaction to consumer complaints lodged with the Federal Trade Commission about the use of their personal identification particulars to obtain cash and/or merchandize. This crime is dependent upon linking personal identification particulars and social security number with a credit history in good standing maintained by credit-rating services. My personal choice of terms would be to refer to this particular phenomenon as a “credit-dependent” financial crime.
How credit card and debit card fraud got into the “identity-theft” mix is beyond me. Credit and debit cards aren’t classified as identification documents. They are defined in the U.S. Code as access devices [Title 18, Part I, Chapter 47, s. 1029]. Credit cards have their own offence sections in Canadian law as well. I don't know about England or Continental Europe.
None-the-less I don’t think the term can be altered in North America, at least not in the short run. Perhaps Wikipedia is a perfect venue to leave the caption in tact, because at least that's what most North American's would search under, and then to clarify what using the term represents in law.
Graeme R. Newman attempts to address this challenge in his “Identity Theft” guide for The Center on Problem-oriented Policing [www.popcenter.org/Problems/problem-identity_theft.htm]. He distinguished financial crimes from concealment crimes, perhaps in a struggle to squeeze the broader base of identification-based crimes into the “identity-theft” terminology.
Particularly noteworthy as well is Mr. Newman’s distinction in describing prevention strategies between “personal guardianship” and “agency guardianship”. If the Wikipedia site is to describe what consumers need to do to protect their personal information, perhaps it should also discuss the "agency guardianship" commitments required by governments and corporations, which house large volumes of personal information. The Privacy Rights Clearing House listing of reported exposures of data in America is staggering.
My first instinct was to edit the Wikipedia site on “identity theft”. I have noted and honour the concern about the number of edits already undertaken. Thought perhaps it best to consult all before moving forward. [alternation_jrl] 24.226.90.12 00:12, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
The 2002 UK Cabinet paper is a very good start. However, the concept of identity and it elements from the point of view of stealing it need a bit more thought, which seems to be occurring in some jurisdictions. These elements are:
- Foundation - the documented existence of an identity, such as a birth or naturalisation certificate. Obviously documents that change identity, such as a marriage certificate or deed poll, also come into play. Added complications are transliteration and or translation of names between scripts and languages, and the issue of cultures where it is possible for a person to have several legitimate names derived from accepted custom and practice. A problem with foundation identities is that if the holder dies in another jurisdiction information about this event may not be available to cancel the identity elsewhere (similarly if the subject has changed jurisditions).
- Physical characteristics, biometrics, no need to say more.
- Activity in the community, now being called 'social footprint' in some circles. This establishes that the identity is active, ideally since the claimed birth! The theory is that it is difficult to create a false social footprint with any depth. This footprint may be documented by allocated identifiers such as address, User Id, membership number, student number, - a potentially infinite list - that can be linked to a foundation identity and in some cases to a biometric. Its the summ of all these parts that actually gives a 'real' identity.
Fraudulent identities can take three forms: · False identity, the identity is fictitious. · Stolen identity, there is such a person who becomes a victim and may suffer tangible and intangible losses from the use of their stolen identity. However, the legitimate owner of the identity may be dead. · Borrowed identity, the lender doing so voluntarily (eg a relative) or involuntarily (eg a coerced person). The identity owner may not report its misuse and may protect the borrower. 24.226.90.12 14:38, 11 March 2007 (UTC)alternation_jrl
Nfe 03:39, 29 January 2007 (UTC)
Would it not be right to remove the tag from the header of this article that states the article does not have a worldwide view. The article now has content from, and discussions on, many regions including USA, Asia and Europe? Mike ( talk) 16:54, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
Between advice on how to avoid and how to response to ID theft, this article is in danger of violating Wikipedia is not an instruction manual. A lot of this may need to go. Robert A.West ( Talk) 14:59, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
I have deleted the two sections telling people how to protect their identity and what to do if it is stolen. As said before, Wikipedia is not an instruction manual. From that section we are told Wikipedia articles should not include instructions or advice (legal, medical, or otherwise), suggestions, or contain "how-to"s. These two sections onlky purpose is to give people advice and instruction. 141.211.175.235 15:12, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
Whoa. I was about to add a comment about how the section "Techniques for obtaining and exploiting personal information for identity theft" is practically giving people ideas for how to commit identity theft, but here it's revealed that "how-to" sections for avoiding identity theft have been deleted while the information for where people find information to commit identity theft is left in. How does this double standard work? -- 97.90.125.162 ( talk) 02:23, 10 May 2010 (UTC)
I think the challenge we face is writing a feature on something that doesn't exist - "identity theft". As best as I can determine the term came to life when privacy rights advocates expressed concern on behalf of consumers about credit-dependent crime. The Federal Trade Commission picked up on it, started to use it, and now it has become common parlance. We can't change the word. The danger is that people thinking theft may not consider fraud interventions in reducing the opportunity to commit identification fraud. I removed references to credit-rating services in recognizing that orginal research breaks the Wikipedia rules. Bruce Schneier writes a lot about the dangers in the centralization of information. Security may be good, but it is never perfect. When there is a security breach it is huge, sometimes tens of thousands of sets of personal identifiers. I too would like to see the "how to sections" removed from the Wikipedia site. People can get this from the FTC or any number of other sources.
-- 76.244.68.147 ( talk) 22:39, 31 July 2011 (UTC)== How to write the term Identity Theft == I was wondering whether the term 'Identity Theft' should appear with both I of Identity and T of Theft as capitals or in small letters. On Wikipedia pages it is a combinatin of both. Some times it appears as small and on other times as capitals. I believe we need to be consistent. Can someone please clarify how we shall use it. AmirHayat 11:07, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
Would it make more sense: a) to put the term in italics - which would be very repetitive, or b) simply capitalize the term and to state that it is a proper name given to a particular genre of identification-based crime? We capitalize given names, surnames, city names etc? What do English majors think?
I would not want to be a police officer or some other person in authority testifying in a court of law that I arrested a suspect for "identity theft". That could get a little uncomfortable in cross examination with astute legal representation.
None-the-less the term has become the stuff of pop culture. It is here to stay. We can't negate the importance of consumers becoming more aware about abuses of their personal information and the exploitation of their credit-worthiness. On the other hand, problem-solvers [e.g. www.popcenter.org] recognize that the term is misleading. In considering how to identify and address the root causes off all crime that incluces a forged means of identification, there is insufficient research to determine which is the higher risk exposure - personal guardianship or agency guardianship [see Privacy Rights Clearing House: A Chronology of Data Breaches]. The problem with concealment crime is that it is very difficult to measure, where with credit-dependent crime we know within a few months and the statistics are centrally gathered.
Therefore, should our efforts in Wikipedia on this topic expressly limit the use of the term to describe a topic that exploits the credit-worthiness of consumers to commit fraud? Consumers, privacy rights advocates and the press are locked onto the term. It cannot be changed. 24.226.90.12 14:33, 11 March 2007 (UTC)alternation_jrl
Weren't there some old Citibank commercials regarding identity theft? I think there were some funny ones with weird voice-overs...
This article is one of the worst examples in Wikipedia of US-centrism. Most of the article is really from a US perspective and the whole thing should be renamed Identity theft (USA). Then a new article called Identity theft could be created which would give a world view on the subject. As it stands this article is of limited use to anyone outside the US. 86.31.78.1 16:21, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
I like it when they put the chickens in the donkey coup —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.130.66.109 ( talk) 20:08, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
I work for the America's Most Wanted Safety Center, a new branch of America's Most Wanted getting away from the capturing of criminals, and branching out to all aspects of safety. I feel a link to our post about identity theft would be appropriate and mutually beneficial, being that America's Most Wanted has already educated millions of Americans about it on television. The link is http://www.amw.com/safety/?p=144 please consider it. Jrosenfe 14:10, 22 June 2007 (UTC)
I'd be interested to see discussion here of how it is that "bank fraud" was transmuted into "identity theft", with the underlying assumption that if a bank halfway across the country hands a criminal money based on a social security number and a birthdate, that it's somehow the fault of the person mimicked rather than the gullible banker. This seems an exceptionally striking example of the re-engineering of public perceptions to turn the problems of the wealthy into the responsibility of the poor. 70.15.116.59 ( talk) 18:53, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
I edited this section because I thought it did not reflect how hard protecting personal data can be. The original wording sounded a little like "she shouldn't have worn that short skirt" to me, but I am an ID theft victim myself so if I'm too biased please feel free to fix it.
My personal feeling is that ID Theft is what used to be just called fraud, but the information age and the rise of information brokers and large government databases have tended to throw the consequences of the fraud onto the person being impersonated. I'd like to see some addition to address this, if I can find a good reference. Also, there is not much mention in here of the role of fake or illegally obtained IDs . —Preceding unsigned comment added by Afpre ( talk • contribs) 14:37, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
Second sentence of article "The most common form of identity theft is credit card fraud.". No. Credit card fraud is FRAUD, straight and simple. It's NOT identity theft. This is the type of statement used by governments to over-inflate the occurrence of identity theft. I suggest we remove this sentence. 86.27.59.185 ( talk) 11:08, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
This is true - credit card fraud is not generally considered identity theft. As the previous post states, it's only IDT if a person's personal information is used to open an account fraudulently - or if a person's personal info is used to access an already open account (see account takeover under credit card fraud). That second sentence should be removed. The rest of the introduction functions just as well without it. (And in my opinion, the government doesn't inflate the numbers as much as the media does. They take gov't stats and exaggerate them to make ID theft more threatening and newsworthy...just my opinion, remember.) Stickfigureparade ( talk) 05:58, 22 February 2008 (UTC)
This is an interesting debate and one that is ongoing in a number of circles. The thought used to be that using another person's credit card to charge goods and services without their permission was called account takeover and not identity theft. But the Federal Trade Commission started becoming the de facto authority on ID theft through its annual reports on the crime. As a result, under ID theft you now have "credit card fraud" as a component. And that is broken down into "existing accounts" (account takeover)and "new accounts". The definitive nature of identity theft has always been a problem. But it now seems like that horse is out of the proverbial barn.([User:vaheterdu]) 29 May 2009
I think a link to the foollowing site is potentially worth doing as it is an assistance to anyone who is worried about Identity Theft and would like to know how to protect themselves in their day to day lives. http://identity-theft.weebly.com Scaifea ( talk) 16:54, 26 June 2008 (UTC)
Thanks for the opportunity TexasAndroid - I have recently been developing a number of information/education sites, hence the reason why I was here linking to the various sites. I apologise if my actions seemed 'spammy' that wasn't my intention, my intention was to add genuinely new and different sources of information to a number of topics. In future I will discuss the addition of any links. Scaifea ( talk) 09:41, 27 June 2008 (UTC)
I added a short paragraph about identity theft protection services in the U.S. These services have received a lot of attention and I believe some information about them is appropriate and would be welcomed by readers. Let me know if you think otherwise, though... -- Wpbl ( talk) 20:52, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
I made a quick edit to the bulleted list of how data is obtained since there was one entry that did not fit the format, read rather strangely, and didn't get the point across. I hope that my addition improves this. I also added a line regarding the California and Wisconsin Offices of Privacy protection, as these seem to be very good resources for the residents of those states. I added the links as references since they are state-specific, but they could be links too if others think they'd be valuable. Jlygrnmigt ( talk) 15:43, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
Right now, identity fraud redirects to this page. Fraud and thieft are different concepts that would be worth to separate. A definition: Identity fraud is a synonym of unlawful identity change. It indicates unlawful activities that use the identity of another person or of a non-existing person as a target or principal tool. A reference to be added: http://www.business.mcmaster.ca/IDTDefinition/defining/idfraudTCF.htm If there is not objection, I will make the change soon. -- Nabeth ( talk) 00:13, 5 March 2009 (UTC)
As referenced by the Wireless identity theft article tag: "It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Identity theft. (Discuss)"
Oppose: due to the amount of detail in both topics, it would be counterproductive to the parent article (this one) to merge the two. -- HarryZilber ( talk) 15:09, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
Oppose: Although "Wireless identity theft" deserves a summary paragraph in the "Identity theft" article, there are several distinct kinds of identity theft that should not all be merged into one bloated article. Greensburger ( talk) 19:43, 19 May 2009 (UTC)
Sorry, I do not understand why the section 'Cultural references' was removed with the message 'obscurity trim'. For me it does not look obscure at all, and besides I find the content useful (anchor 'Identity theft' to ciméma and literrature).
Having say that, there may be some very legitimate reasons (not enough notability?) to remove this part.
Note: I have never contributed in this section, and therefore I believe I am neutral on this.
Best regards -- Nabeth ( talk) 14:58, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
Should be nixed, IMO. With 2% of the public having their ID stolen, this would be an unmanageably huge list. If the info is interesting, it should be worked in elsewhere. I feel the info has no value, so even that isn't needed. -- Psrq ( talk) 20:34, 27 September 2009 (UTC)
This article needs to be recycled, and I do not mind personally that some content is removed. However if it is done, in particular from an anonymous user, it could be good to have an explanation, so as to really know if this is not vandalism. Please, if you do it, do not be afraid (from me) to changes things, but in the case you do it (even as an anonymous account), can you please provide an explanation? Thanks.
-- Nabeth ( talk) 16:19, 29 September 2009 (UTC)
Here is some content that had replaced the previous content:
According to the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center [1] and other sources, others for non-financial reasons - for instance, to receive praise or attention for the victim's achievements. This is sometimes referred to as identity theft in the media. [2]
Maybe this was some useful content (under == Types ==) but I have difficulty to determine if this originates from Identity Theft Resource Center. Please put it back if it make sense to you.
-- Nabeth ( talk) 16:28, 29 September 2009 (UTC)
References
As we all know Id theft is the most common crime that is happening in the United States. Thieves can steal your personal info in many ways. For example hacking into your computer, sending phishing emails, digging into your trash etc. A phishing email is an email that is sent by a third party pretending to be your bank, phone company, etc asking you to provide personal info. DONT RESPOND BACK! Companies dont ask customers to give out their personal info by email. Also like I say that thieves look into your trash and hack your computers to get personal info. Thats why if you are throwing away things that contain personal info make sure you shred those things first. Also if you have a computer at home make sure your computer has a firewall anti spyware and an antivirus on and up to date to make sure that it gets very difficult for anyone to steal your personal info. Now also if you are for example going online to your banks website when your press enter make sure it starts with https:// and make sure that there is a little lock on the bottom of the screen and when you click on it make sure that it says 128bit. This means that the page is secured. Also thieves are using the telephone to get your personal info so watch out! Dont give out any personal info unless you initiated the contact. Plus Monitor your bank accounts everyday for any fraudlent activity. When you get your statements also look for any charges that you did not make because even a charge to your credit or checking account is a sign of identity theft. Get a free copy of your credit reports every year from equifax experian and transunion. Also you might want to subscribe to an identity theft protection service. Eliminate paper bills because they can get lost or stolen by thieves and view your bills online instead. Take action immediately if your bills don't arrive on time! A missing bill can mean that someone changed your billing address to do bad things. Now when someone asks you for personal info such as your ssn ask why they need it? How are they going to safe guard it? Because you dont want that number to fall into the wrong hands. You also might want to remove your phone number from the directory because in the telephone directory it shows your names address and phone number so call your phone company and ask them to take your name off the directory and from the 411. (There is a small fee for that service). Now lets talk about what info are we carrying around never carry around your SSN and the reason why is because if your purse or wallet is lost or stolen you are giving a chance for a thief to commit id theft so that also means don't carry any debit cards or credit cards you don't use or any personal info that you are carrying around for no reason and leave it at home an a safe and secure place that means not in the living room, kitchen, or in any area where someone can access it because identity theft also happens like that for example if you are not home someone can get into your home and rob your info that also means that even people that visit you such as friends or relatives can steel your info if you leave that in an area where another person can reach it. Now Im going to talk to you about protecting your info from cashiers when giving your check, credit, or debit card while paying look it the cashier to make sure he doesn't do something that can surprise you later on. Also we got to watch out for skimming skimming is when you go to an ATM and you slide your card I think that they have a little camara or I really don't know how they get your card info but when you slide it it records your card information so definitely their is no way we can completely prevent id theft but we can take these steps to reduce our risk. I took my time to put this info here in wikipedia because Im sure that It's really going to help alot of us from being victims of id theft. Good Luck to all of you!!
Luis Moreno
The problem with Identity theft if you read my main comment at the very top is that it doesn't even have to happen in the first place. It occurs because institutions require different signs of identity and any of those can be replicated. The solution is to give each institution a special identity that is signed (with strong encryption) and is logged at a trusted ID holder, preferably the US government. It should be as simple as logging into a site like google, obtaining a unique ID, giving the institution (needing the proof) the unique ID .. They only need to validate it against the government's database. All the institution that receives the unique and qualified ID would need to know is that this ID verifiably is referenced in the government databases and leads to picture, address, and other such information of the ID holder. In fact, you could divulge everything, even information about your facebook, and such to the public. The key to this "working" is that you have a login and password and you keep the login and password private, and who here finds that difficult? Everytime you need to get a credit card or other such service, you only need to login, obtain a specialized ID, annotate what the ID is for, and then get the unique qualified ID, and give it to the institution..
Better yet would be to make it so that every institution publishes a promotional service code, and that that can be used to register the specialized ID, so that the link between the ID and the use is stronger. The more loosely you associate ID's, the easier ID theft is.. It's like a chain, would you rather have one point of failure or multiple points of failure? 99.45.96.255 ( talk) 17:50, 28 October 2012 (UTC)
to be understood as a suggestion: Nicknapping seems to become the term to describe identity theft to act as another person in the web (forums, social web). It seems to be worth to add the term in the article (?). focus_mankind ( focus_mankind) 17:18, 8 January 2010 (UTC)
I have added some information from the new CIFAS report about the mount of ID theft that occured in the UK in 2009. My grammer is not 100% great so someone might wish to check it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.26.23.81 ( talk) 16:02, 3 February 2010 (UTC)
why is there a debate on the probability of being a victim here? this is introducing bias immediately and shouldn't be done. after the government accountability office study, the remaining needs to be moved out Yourmanstan ( talk) 18:01, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
The article implied that identity fraud is rarely the result of data breaches; I've modified it to remove this invalid implication.
The http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/research/241full.pdf paper has some major errors; As noted, it is unpublished. IMO, this is for good reason. • Aside from a slew of basic grammatical errors, it fails to consider that • a great many breaches go unreported, or that • breach notification laws lead to the discovery of breaches. • It confabulates the percentage of ID theft connected with a reported breach with the percentage of ID theft that resulted from a breach. This confabulation, IMO, results in unwarranted conclusions. • A consumer is far more likely to be able to connect an incident of ID theft to their stolen wallet than to a breach that remained undetected or unreported. A consumer cannot connect an incident of ID theft to a breach that is undetected or unreported. • Its main conclusion is unwarranted because it is reached through a 'Comparison of reported identity theft rates by states with and without law' that does not consider:
...is full of trivial references to "identity theft". Now, I can see the notability of Michelle Brown's story: true story, high profile, made into a film. Also, Catch Me If You Can is the same. However, this article does not need to list all the times fiction has depicted identity theft; I don't see anything particularly notable or helpful to the reader informing them that Family Guy joked about identity theft. — Onore Baka Sama( speak | stalk) 17:47, 9 November 2010 (UTC)
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Hello !
I would like to put some more information about the "Identity theft" wikipedia page. Indeed, I think it can be interesting to write about the types of data theft, what kind of data can be stolen, how its data can be used and so on.
What do you think about it ? We can discuss about this subject if you want.
Thank you,
Camille
-- IAEP.CamilleR ( talk) 09:35, 27 September 2017 (UTC)
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As others have pointed out in the past, this article seems to be written from an almost pure US perspective. I must admit that looking for sources covering ID theft outside of the US has turned up with little to no results, but perhaps the article should be reworded/re-titled to more correctly reflect its bias to the US. TheUnnamedNewbie ( talk) 11:51, 19 February 2020 (UTC)