Identity Theft — A Research Review
National Institute of Justice
Introduction
Identity theft has become perhaps the defining crime of the information age, with an estimated 9 million or more incidents each year.[1] Publicity regarding severe cases of identity theft in the print and electronic media and portrayal of the risk of identity theft in a number of effective television commercials have raised public awareness about identity theft. Arguably, however, few persons are aware of the complexities of the many issues involved with this crime, which is really a large set of fraudulent activities ranging in size from minor swindles to major crimes using stolen identities. These fraudulent actions are perpetrated by a broad spectrum of offenders, from family members to shadowy, international criminal gangs.
Over the past decade, the Federal Government and most States have passed legislation to impose criminal sanctions on identify theft (see Identity Theft Legislation). Efforts to combat identity theft have been hampered, however, by the elusiveness of a definition, its overlap with the elements of many other crimes, its long-term and multijurisdictional nature (including the time that may elapse before discovery), and questions as to whether law enforcement agencies or financial institutions are better equipped to combat it.
This NIJ-sponsored study drew from available scientific studies and other sources (through January 2005) to assess what is known about identity theft and what further research is needed. The study's researchers call for further research in areas relating to prevention, including reduction of harm to individual victims, financial institutions, and society.