FBI Identity Theft Law

Identity theft is a federal crime

Identity theft is a white collar crime that is considered a criminal priority of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is defined by the FBI as "the misuse of another individual's personal identifying information for fraudulent purposes."

History

Identity theft became a federal crime for the first time in 1998, with the passing of the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act.

Statistics

According to Javelin Strategy and Research, a group that studies identity theft statistics, there were 10 million victims of identity theft in the U.S. in 2008 and one out of every ten U.S. consumers has been affected by identity theft.

Punishment

The Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act, signed in 2004, makes it an aggravated offense to use someone's stolen identity to commit a crime. Those convicted of aggravated identity theft receive mandatory prison time.

Cases

The FBI considers its successful 2006 prosecution of Harold McCoy one of its most significant cases. McCoy obtained the names of donors to the Red Cross in the Philadelphia area and used them to steal money; he was sentenced to 162 months in prison.

Fun Fact

Credit card theft, which happens when someone steals your credit card and uses it to make purchases, is the type of identity theft that is prosecuted most by the FBI.

References

• FBI.gov: Financial Crimes -- Identity Theft
• Identity Theft Awareness: Punishment for Identity Theft
• Spend On Life: 2009 Identity Theft Statistics

Resources

• Federal Trade Commission: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft