Identity Theft
Identity theft involves acquiring key pieces of someone´s identifying information in order to impersonate them and commit various crimes in that person´s name. Besides basic information like name, address and telephone number, identity thieves look for social insurance numbers, driver´s license numbers, credit card and/or bank account numbers, as well as bank cards, telephone calling cards, birth certificates or passports. This information enables the identity thief to commit numerous forms of fraud: to go on spending sprees under the victim´s name, to take over the victim´s financial accounts, open new accounts, divert the victim´s financial mail to the thief´s address, apply for loans, credit cards, social benefits, rent apartments, establish services with utility companies, and more.
Identity Theft
Overview of Identity Theft in relation to cyber crime: [1]There are many ways in which the offender can obtain personal information about a person in order to commit identity theft. Some of these are ”offline” through physical means, such as when an offender goes through the victim’s trash to find discarded documents such as credit card applications and pay stubs. Other methods are ”online” via a computer or the Internet, such as when victims respond to phishing ploys and enter personal information on dummyWeb sites set up to look like legitimate ones, or when they volunteer personal information to blogs, chat rooms, or social networking Web sites.
Identity Theft Issues
In 1980, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) developed a set of internationally-recognized principles for the responsible treatment of personal information commonly known as the Code of Fair Information Practices. The Code sets out several restrictions and standards concerning the collection, retention, use, disclosure and security of personal information. More recently, the Canadian Standards Association has developed an updated Code called the “Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information.”
For more details, see the OECD Guidelines Governing the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data, September 1980.
Theft of Digital Information and Related internet Crimes in the Context of Internet Law
Read, in this legal Encyclopedia, about the topic of this section, and, specially, about Identity Theft
Identity Theft in Cyberlaw
internet Crimes in the Context of Internet Law
Theft of Digital Information and Related
Resources
Notes and References
1. By Sara E. Berg
See Also
- Types of Cybercrime
- Cybercriminal
Further Reading
Berg, S.E. (2008). Identity theft causes, correlates, and factors: A content analysis. In F. Schmallager and M. Pittaro (Eds.), Crimes of the Internet. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall; Federal Trade Commission. (2007). Identity theft victim complaint data: January 1, 2006–December 31, 2006. Retrieved May 21, 2007, from the Federal Trade Commission Web site: (internet link) ftc.gov/bcp/edu/ microsites/idtheft/downloads/clearinghouse_2006.pdf; McQuade, S.C. (2006). Understanding and managing cybercrime. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.; Neuffer, E. (1991, May 27). One name’s double life: David Lombardi lost his ID cards, acquired coworker’s debts and crimes. Boston Globe. Retrieved March 26, 2005, from National Newspapers via ProQuest; Neuffer, E. (1991, July 9). Victims urge crackdown on identity theft: Say officials often fail to act on complaints. Boston Globe. Retrieved March 26, 2005, from National Newspapers via ProQuest; Sharp, T., Shreve-Neiger, A., Fremouw, W., Kane, J., & Hutton, S. (2004, January). Exploring the psychological and somatic impact of identity theft. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 49(1), 131–136.
Hierarchical Display of Identity theft
Law > Criminal law > Offence > Crime against individuals
Identity theft
Concept of Identity theft
See the dictionary definition of Identity theft.
Characteristics of Identity theft
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Resources
Translation of Identity theft
- Spanish: Usurpación de identidad
- French: Usurpation d’identité
- German: Identitätsdiebstahl
- Italian: Usurpazione di identità
- Portuguese: Usurpação de identidade
- Polish: Kradzież tożsamości
Thesaurus of Identity theft
Law > Criminal law > Offence > Crime against individuals > Identity theft
See also
- Identity fraud
- Spoofing
- Phishing
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