Identity theft (or identity fraud, iJacking) occurs when someone wrongfully acquires or uses another person's personal data, typically for their own financial gain. What Are Identity Theft and Identity Fraud?, United States Department of Justice, retrieved June 30,2006 Sometimes it is referred to as "identity fraud" since the criminal impersonates rather than 'removes' the victims identity.
Most commonly, this term is used in relation to credit card fraud although mortgage fraud and other kinds of financial fraud are common. Less commonly, it is used to enable illegal immigration, terrorism or espionage. It may also be a means of blackmail if activities undertaken by the thief in the name of the victim would have serious consequences for the victim.
Techniques for obtaining information include :
Security :: Fire and Security
Computer security
Security :: Emergency Supplies
Fraud :: Issues

Federal Trade Commission - Identity Theft - The U.S. government's central website for information about identity theft.
Meta Description: [ Identity theft is a serious crime. It occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. ]
Identity Theft Resource Center - Features detailed guides for victims, current laws, media resources, and reference library.
Meta Description: [ Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), is a nonprofit national organization for identity theft. Provides consumer & victim support, public education, and advice to governmental agencies, legislators, law enforcement, & businesses on identity theft. ]
Recovery Investigators of Alabama (PCRIA) - A unique organization that offers education to law enforcement, private sector loss prevention officers, bank fraud investigators, and corporate fraud investigators in the areas of property crime and identity theft in Alabama.
Bankrate.com - 14 Tips to Avoid Identity Theft - Suggestions from Frank Abagnale on reducing one's risk of identity theft.
Meta Description: [ 14 tips from Frank Abagnale on reducing your risk of identity theft. ]
Better Business Bureau - Stopping Identity Theft: Protecting Your Privacy - Articles for consumers and businesses.
California Department of Justice: Identity Theft - Features state lwas, tips for victims, and ID theft registry for the state.
Meta Description: [ If you have been charge with a crime committed by another person who used your identity when arrested or if your identity was mistakenly associated with a record of criminal conviction, you can register with the California Department of Justice as a victim of identity theft. Once registered, you... ]
Call For Action: Identity Theft - Features warning signs, preventative measures, and victim information and resources.
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CBC News: Identity Theft - Robbery in the New Millennium - Article with prevention tips, how the crime is committed, and links.
FDIC Consumer News: When a Criminal's Cover Is Your Identity - Tips for prevention and for victims.
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston: Identity Theft - Brochure in html and pdf formats.
Financial Privacy Now - Campaign to strengthen financial privacy protections for consumers to keep credit safe and prevent crimes like identity theft. Targets the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Project of Consumers Union.
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: ID Theft Information - Include a video, forms, and resources for victims of the crime.
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Georgia Stop Identity Theft Network - Features programs, participants, FAQ, victim's checklist, and resources.
ID Theft Partnerships in Prevention - Victim advocacy, investigations, research, partners with businesses to prevent identitiy theft inside.
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ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name - Tips from the Federal Trade Commission.
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Identity Theft 911 - Educational articles.
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Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act - Full text of the United States national identity theft law.
Identity Theft Security - Empowering consumers with tips, resources, and tools to prevent becoming victims of identity theft.
Meta Description: [ Identity Theft Security - Identity Theft Protection tips, tools and resources to help you protect and secure your identity using prevention techniques, software tools and credit monitoring services. ]
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Identity Theft: A Quiz for Consumers - This U.S. Department of Justice site offers consumers a short quiz to help them learn how to protect themselves from identity theft.
Identity Theft: Fact and fiction - This article discusses the growth and impact of identity theft, and how society should respond to its challenges.
Meta Description: [ Identity theft: Fact and fiction | Cybertheft of identities is proliferating, but is it a lost cause? The Justice Department's Jonathan J. Rusch says not--but the government and public face a long battle. | September 18, 2002, 4:00 AM PT | Jonathan J. Rusch ]
Invasion of the ID Snatchers - Online booklet from the National Consumers League.
Knowledge@Wharton - Do You Know Where Your Identity Is? Personal Data Theft Eludes Easy Remedies - [Free registration required to view.] Stopping identity theft is a very complicated proposition. Here are some steps that are probably required to positively impact the privacy of personal data.
Meta Description: [ Knowledge@Wharton is an online resource that offers the latest business insights, information, and research from a variety of sources. Content includes analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and Wharton faculty, articles based on the most recent business research, ... ]
Lies, threats, a lost identity and the internet - Chronicle of identity theft in blogs and cyberstalking. Includes tips on preventing online identity theft.
Millersmiles.co.uk - Guide to avoiding online fraud and phishing scams.
Meta Description: [ millersmiles.co.uk - The web's largest collection of phishing scams and scam emails ]
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My Journey by Jamie R. Dean KE4HTM - Describes the author's journey with identity and amateur radio callsign theft, and the eventual trial and punishment of the thief. Also provides tips for avoiding and stopping identity theft
National Conference of State Legislatures: Identity Theft - Features current statutes, pending legislation, and publications.
New York Better Business Bureau: Identity Theft - Features information on detection, new scams, prevention, liability, resources, and correcting the problem.
NPR Talk of the Nation: How to Avoid Identity Theft - How to protect your identity. [37:28 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ Consumers are reeling from recent thefts from a consumer data firm. And some experts caution it's a problem on the rise. We look at how to protect your identity. ]
NPR : ChoicePoint Security Breach - The consumer data company ChoicePoint says a security breach last week will affect more than 140,000 people in all 50 states. The company is sending notices to individuals whose personal and financial details were accessed by thieves posing as businessmen. [2:40 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ The consumer data company ChoicePoint says a security breach last week will affect more than 140,000 people in all 50 states. The company is sending notices to individuals whose personal and financial details were accessed by thieves posing as businessmen. ]
NPR : Congress Aims to Combat Identity Theft - In the wake of recent scandals involving data collection companies like ChoicePoint and LexisNexis, Congress has begun pushing for greater personal identity safeguards. [3:12 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ In the wake of recent scandals involving data collection companies like ChoicePoint and LexisNexis, Congress has begun pushing for greater personal identity safeguards. NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with NPR's Larry Abramson about newly proposed legislation that would address the issue. ]
NPR : Experts Urge Consumers to Act Against Identity Theft - Georgia-based ChoicePoint Inc. is sending out letters to warn consumers their personal information has been stolen. But law enforcement officials say many more people need to be on guard for possible identity theft, after crooks got unauthorized access to information in ChoicePoint's databases. [3:37 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ Georgia-based ChoicePoint Inc. is sending out 145,000 letters to warn consumers their personal information has been stolen. But law enforcement officials say many more people need to be on guard for possible identity theft, after crooks got unauthorized access to information in ChoicePoint's da... ]
NPR : Fighting Identity Theft - Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, discusses the recent spate of security breaches at consumer data banks. Computer hackers accessed consumer data at ChoicePoint and Lexis-Nexis. [4:20 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, discusses the recent spate of security breaches at consumer data banks. Computer hackers accessed consumer data at ChoicePoint and Lexis-Nexis. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a consumer advocacy group based in San Diego. ]
NPR : ID Thieves Target Children, Infants - Even the youngest among us can be victims of identity theft. Seattle Times reporter Jolayne Houtz explains how, and why. John Brooke, a Seattle-area man, describes how his newborn became a target. [2:44 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ Even the youngest among us can be victims of identity theft. Seattle Times reporter Jolayne Houtz explains how, and why. John Brooke, a Seattle-area man, describes how his newborn became a target. ]
NPR : Identity Theft in the International Arena - NPR's Eric Weiner reports on European efforts to prevent the theft of sensitive personal data compiled by information collection companies. [4:33 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ NPR's Eric Weiner reports on European efforts to prevent the theft of sensitive personal data compiled by information collection companies. ]
NPR : Information Companies and Identity Theft - Recent data theft from information companies prompted hearings on Capitol Hill. Gail Hillebrand of Consumers Union tells Jacki Lyden what sort of personal data information companies such as Choicepoint and Lexis/Nexis collect -- and how they use it. [3:15 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ A recent spate of identity theft from information companies prompted hearings on Capitol Hill. Gail Hillebrand of Consumers Union tells Jacki Lyden what sort of personal data information companies such as Choicepoint and Lexis/Nexis collect -- and how they use it. ]
NPR : Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft - NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with Gail Hillebrand about identity theft protection. Hillebrand is senior attorney for the Consumers Union, an independent, nonprofit testing and information organization. [3:52 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ In the wake of the recent security breach at the consumer data company Choicepoint, NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with Gail Hillebrand about identity theft protection. Hillebrand is senior attorney for the Consumers Union, an independent, nonprofit testing and information organization. ]
NPR : Safeguarding the Data Brokerage Industry, Part I - The data brokerage industry has come under intense scrutiny with the disclosure of two high-profile identity theft cases. NPR's Farai Chideya has a special report. [11:46 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ The data brokerage industry has come under intense scrutiny with the disclosure of two high-profile identity theft cases. ChoicePoint Inc. recently revealed that its system had been infiltrated in 2004, compromising the personal information of as many as 145,000 U.S. residents. And, just last w... ]
NPR : Safeguarding the Data Brokerage Industry, Part II - For a closer look at data brokers and what can be done to safeguard the industry from future fraud, NPR's Ed Gordon is joined by Robert O'Harrow Junior, a staff writer at The Washington Post and author of No Place to Hide: Behind the Scenes of Our Emerging Surveillance Society, and Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D), who has championed legislation that would give the Federal Trade Commission more oversight over the data brokerage industry. [7:55 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ For a closer look at data brokers and what can be done to safeguard the industry from future fraud, NPR's Ed Gordon is joined by Robert O'Harrow Junior, a staff writer at The Washington Post and author of No Place to Hide: Behind the Scenes of Our Emerging Surveillance Society, and Florida Sen. B... ]
NPR : Senate Mulls Measures to Combat Identity Theft - The Senate Banking Committee considers possible regulations to battle the growing problem of identity theft. The most recent Federal Trade Commission survey found that 10 million Americans were the victims of some type of identity theft in one year. [3:40 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ The Senate Banking Committee considers possible regulations to battle the growing problem of identity theft. The most recent Federal Trade Commission survey found that 10 million Americans were the victims of some type of identity theft in one year. ]
NPR : Tips on Avoiding Identity Theft - Michele Norris talks with Evan Hendricks, editor and publisher of Privacy Times and author of Credit Scores and Credit Reports, about why people should be concerned about identity theft and what they can do to avoid it. [5:15 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ Michele Norris talks with Evan Hendricks, editor and publisher of Privacy Times and author of Credit Scores and Credit Reports, about why people should be concerned about identity theft and what they can do to avoid it. ]
NPR : Tips to Avoid Internet Identity Theft, E-Mail Scams - Criminals around the world are discovering tools that let them spy on hundreds of thousands of people over the Internet, and they're stealing credit card numbers, bank account passwords, and other sensitive information. NPR's Chris Arnold reports. [5:20 streaming audio broadcast]
Meta Description: [ Criminals around the world are discovering tools that let them spy on hundreds of thousands of people over the Internet. And they're stealing credit card numbers, bank account passwords, and other sensitive information in much greater numbers. NPR's Chris Arnold reports. ]
Office of Privacy Protection: Identity Theft - Consumer information from this California state government agency. Some information also in Spanish.
PhoneBusters: Identity Theft - Includes victim information, a list of scams, statistics on the crime, and prevention tips.
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse - Identity Theft Resources - Articles and related links on what to do if you are a victim of identity theft.
Public Advisory: Special Report for Consumers on Identity Theft - Tips and reports from the Solicitor General of Canada.
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RCMP Frauds and Scams: Identity Theft - Tips from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Smartmoney.com: Identity Thieves Employ High-Tech Tactics - Five of the latest high-tech forms of identity theft along with ways consumers can protect themselves.
Meta Description: [ Identity Thieves Employ High-Tech Tactics ]
Smartmoney.com: Consumer Action: Your SS Number Is Just a Click Away - Long article expresses concerns that various county clerks are publishing their residents' personal documents online. Many examples of public figures' data that can be found are given.
Meta Description: [ Free web sites offer up Social Security numbers, divorce agreements, mortgage papers and more to anyone seeking a peek. ]
Smartmoney.com: Debt Management: Stop! Thief! - Article by Aleksandra Todorova. Steps to restoring your good name after becoming a victim of identity theft.
Meta Description: [ Victims of identity theft must overcome enormous hurdles to restore their good names. Here are some pointers. ]
Smartmoney.com: Debt Management: The Secret Life of Your Social Security Number - Article by Aleksandra Todorova. With Social Security-number (SSN)-only theft, oftentimes abusers have no intent of stealing anybody's good credit. They simply want the number so they can work and establish their own lines of credit — in their own name. In essence, two separate identities are created from one Social Security number.
Meta Description: [ Someone may have used your Social Security number to obtain credit -- with every intention of keeping up on the payments. Even weirder, you may never find out. ]
Social Security Administration: Identity Theft - Publication with tips and contact.
Spyware Guide to Identity Theft - Explores connections between identity theft and commercial spyware. Offers free consumer tips.
Meta Description: [ SpywareGuide is a comprehensive resource covering all aspects of the biggest challenge for PC users today - spyware prevention. In addition to an extensive, searchable database of spyware and antispyware applications and the latest news coverage of issues ]
State Government Site - New York Attorney Generals Office - Preventative tips.
Meta Description: [ Office of New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo. The Attorney General -- The People's Lawyer -- is dedicated to aggressively prosecuting and defending the interests of all New Yorkers ]
Texas Attorney General: Identity Theft - Prevention tips and victim information.
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Identity Theft - Identifies the problem and offers tips on prevention and what to do if it occurs.
U.S. Department of Justice: Identity Theft and Identity Fraud - Features programs, prevention, and remedial steps after the crime.
U.S. Postal Inspection Services: Identity Theft - Features tips and brochures for prevention and for victims of the crime.
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