Identityfraudresources.com

Identity Theft FTC Indicators.

According to all Identity Theft FTC indications and circulating identity theft stories, young individuals are already the largest group being targeted by computer identity theft.

Make no mistake, this is not by accident. Stolen identities are apparently worth more if they belong to young people. The key factor in all of this is the person’s credit standings. Usually, the younger the person, the better the standings.

Statistics like the one above are usually compiled and distributed by the FTC. They are the Federal Government’s statistical watchdog when it comes to fraudulent activities in general and Identity Theft in particular. Here’s another quickstat found in a recent identity theft article:

The Federal Trade Commission found that” ….of all those who reported being victimized in the United States, only 9 % were 60 and over while the largest number, 29 %, were in the 18 – 29 age group”.

Below are additional forms of identity fraud and theft not usually separated into their own groups by the FTC and others. We feel however, that as the crime evolves, the broad identity theft definition will have to be broken into 4 distinct types of crime. We have listed them here with a brief explanation of each one.

4 Types of Identity Theft FTC

1. Credit Identity Theft
2. Medical Identity Theft
3. Social Security Number Identity Theft
4. Driver’s License Identity Theft

“Even after 9/11, it is still fairly easy to obtain a valid drivers’ license using someone else’s personal information along with the right amount of cash.”

1. Credit Identity Theft

An identity thief steals your personal information intending to use it for personal financial gain. A credit report consumer hot-line reports this as the most common type of the four listed.

2. Medical Identity Theft

Here your medical identity is assumed. The benefit is gained by an individual not having to reveal their own personal medical and financial history, which may be detrimental to them receiving medical attention.

3. Social Security Number Identity Theft

Crucial for new identities and fraudulent papers. We have all seen one identity theft video or another. They are all fairly accurate. This area is quickly becoming the one to watch.

Some examples of how an id thief may use your SSN:

• They may threaten national security or commit terrorist acts. The September 11 hijackers used fake identification to board their planes.
• They may use stolen personal information to forge military identification cards. This recently happened at Ft. Meade near Washington, DC.
• They pile up traffic tickets in your name with no intention of paying them.
• They commit felonies using your identity. Victims of identity theft have been arrested, even jailed, for crimes they did not commit.
• They may obtain a passport in your name to bring someone into the country for any number of illegal reasons— human trafficking, for example, is a quite popular use.

4. Drivers License Identity Theft

Just in case you haven’t noticed, Motor Vehicles Departments across the nation have been investing millions of dollars into producing the “perfect” drivers license.

They now use digital images that are a part of the paper used for the actual license, seals, holograms, digital signatures, embedded watermarks and a whole host of techniques, all designed to discourage someone from stealing identity particulars.

This is working well for the most part. So well as a matter of fact, that it has become very difficult to produce a realistic fake drivers license in some states.

The counterfeiters have now changed their tactics. Why spend countless hours laboring on a fake id that may not even fool the bouncer at the local bar, when you can walk into the local MVA and for a few dollars, they will GIVE you a valid license with your picture under someone else’s social security number?

Identity Protection

Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft (Identity Theft FTC), is a term that applies to all of the 4 types above. The FTC has long been tasked by the government to be their frontline defense against identity theft.

Their role had been one of consumer education and fraud investigator in collaboration with the Justice Department. According to a recent identity theft affidavit, the passage of the FACTA law in 2003, has essentially empowered them with veto status over individual states’ legislatures. They can make final rulings in identity theft cases.

Identity theft punishment and prosecution is left up to the Department of Justice and Local Law Enforcement. An identity theft attorney should be one of the first things to check into if you suspect that you are a victim.

A Timely Identity Theft Tip

Identity Theft FTC guidelines include the reporting of the case to local law enforcement, the Federal Bureau Of Investigation and to the Secret Service. Make sure that these reports are made at the outset in order to start the ball rolling.