{ "id": "R40599", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R40599", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 427066, "date": "2014-01-16", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T20:44:15.835310", "title": "Identity Theft: Trends and Issues", "summary": "In the current fiscal environment, policymakers are increasingly concerned with securing the economic health of the United States\u2014including combating those crimes that threaten to undermine the nation\u2019s financial stability. Identity theft is one such crime. In 2012, about 12.6 million Americans were reportedly victims of identity fraud, and the average identity fraud victim incurred a mean of $365 in costs as a result of the fraud. Identity theft is often committed to facilitate other crimes such as credit card fraud, document fraud, or employment fraud, which in turn can affect not only the nation\u2019s economy but its security. Consequently, in securing the nation and its economic health, policymakers are also tasked with reducing identity theft and its impact.\nIdentity theft has remained the dominant consumer fraud complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Nevertheless, while the number of overall identity theft complaints generally increased between when the FTC began recording identity theft complaints in 2000 and 2008, the number of complaints decreased in both 2009 and 2010 before rising in 2011 and 2012. Identity theft case filings and convictions peaked in 2007 and 2008, and have generally declined since. Aggravated identity theft case filings and convictions, on the other hand, have largely continued to increase since aggravated identity theft was added as a federal offense in 2004.\nCongress continues to debate the federal government\u2019s role in (1) preventing identity theft and its related crimes, (2) mitigating the potential effects of identity theft after it occurs, and (3) providing the most effective tools to investigate and prosecute identity thieves. With respect to preventing identity theft, one issue concerning policymakers is the prevalence of personally identifiable information\u2014and in particular, the prevalence of Social Security numbers (SSNs)\u2014in both the private and public sectors. One policy option to reduce their prevalence may involve restricting the use of SSNs on government-issued documents such as Medicare identification cards. Another option could entail providing federal agencies with increased regulatory authority to curb the prevalence of SSN use in the private sector. In debating policies to mitigate the effects of identity theft, one option Congress may consider is whether to strengthen data breach notification requirements. Such requirements could affect the notification of relevant law enforcement authorities as well as any individuals whose personally identifiable information may be at risk from the breach. Congress may also be interested in assessing the true scope of data breaches, particularly involving government networks.\nThere have already been several legislative and administrative actions aimed at curtailing identity theft. Congress enacted legislation naming identity theft as a federal crime in 1998 (P.L. 105-318) and later provided for enhanced penalties for aggravated identity theft (P.L. 108-275). In April 2007, the President\u2019s Identity Theft Task Force issued recommendations to combat identity theft, including specific legislative recommendations to close identity theft-related gaps in the federal criminal statutes. In a further attempt to curb identity theft, Congress directed the FTC to issue an Identity Theft Red Flags Rule, requiring that creditors and financial institutions with specified account types develop and institute written identity theft prevention programs.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R40599", "sha1": "04f7716cbfabcf33a62a470f2f021d669f740c08", "filename": "files/20140116_R40599_04f7716cbfabcf33a62a470f2f021d669f740c08.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R40599", "sha1": "5e7154e2ed951ffd522cb5c2592ad0c7764e6c6e", "filename": "files/20140116_R40599_5e7154e2ed951ffd522cb5c2592ad0c7764e6c6e.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2496, "name": "Crime and Punishment" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 3098, "name": "Consumer Protection" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4300, "name": "Cybersecurity" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc86550/", "id": "R40599_2012Feb15", "date": "2012-02-15", "retrieved": "2012-06-15T10:07:48", "title": "Identity Theft: Trends and Issues", "summary": "In 2010, about 8.1 million Americans were reportedly victims of identity fraud, and the average identity fraud victim incurred a mean of $631 in costs as a result of the fraud\u2014the highest level since 2007. Identity theft is often committed to facilitate other crimes such as credit card fraud, document fraud, or employment fraud, which in turn can affect not only the nation's economy but its security. Consequently, in securing the nation and its economic health, policy makers are also tasked with reducing identity theft and its impact.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120215_R40599_9358d3e3e1e37115727c0f4d25689c42d20782a4.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120215_R40599_9358d3e3e1e37115727c0f4d25689c42d20782a4.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Identity theft", "name": "Identity theft" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Fraud", "name": "Fraud" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Criminal justice", "name": "Criminal justice" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc811987/", "id": "R40599_2011Dec14", "date": "2011-12-14", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Identity Theft: Trends and Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20111214_R40599_bd4ca3b3638991870985da3f0df5f8a78b25a14a.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20111214_R40599_bd4ca3b3638991870985da3f0df5f8a78b25a14a.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc491221/", "id": "R40599_2010May27", "date": "2010-05-27", "retrieved": "2015-01-27T19:40:46", "title": "Identity Theft: Trends and Issues", "summary": "This report first provides a brief federal legislative history of identity theft laws. It analyzes the current trends in identity theft, including prevalent identity theft-related crimes, the federal agencies involved in combating identity theft, and the trends in identity theft complaints and prosecutions. The report also discusses the relationship between data breaches and identity theft as well as possible effects of the FTC's Identity Theft Red Flags Rule, effective June 1, 2010. It also examines current legislation on identity theft and possible issues for the 111th Congress to consider.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20100527_R40599_f3e374bfc178d116be885ef607954a23be7688ad.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20100527_R40599_f3e374bfc178d116be885ef607954a23be7688ad.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Identity theft", "name": "Identity theft" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Fraud", "name": "Fraud" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Criminal justice", "name": "Criminal justice" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc505630/", "id": "R40599_2010Jan05", "date": "2010-01-05", "retrieved": "2015-05-29T05:37:21", "title": "Identity Theft: Trends and Issues", "summary": "This report first provides a brief federal legislative history of identity theft laws. It analyzes the current trends in identity theft, including prevalent identity theft-related crimes, the federal agencies involved in combating identity theft, and the trends in identity theft complaints and prosecutions. The report also discusses the relationship between data breaches and identity theft as well as possible effects of the FTC's Identity Theft Red Flags Rule, effective June 1, 2010.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20100105_R40599_79afc185881a61df285cc22236bd142aacdc1b99.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20100105_R40599_79afc185881a61df285cc22236bd142aacdc1b99.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Identity theft", "name": "Identity theft" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Fraud", "name": "Fraud" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Criminal justice", "name": "Criminal justice" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc505467/", "id": "R40599_2009Aug26", "date": "2009-08-26", "retrieved": "2015-05-29T05:37:21", "title": "Identity Theft: Trends and Issues", "summary": "This report first provides a brief federal legislative history of identity theft laws. It analyzes the current trends in identity theft, including prevalent identity theft-related crimes, the federal agencies involved in combating identity theft, and the trends in identity theft complaints and prosecutions.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090826_R40599_8f5e2ba8a4941ab7b9e6e9d8a026fb7a8c60941a.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090826_R40599_8f5e2ba8a4941ab7b9e6e9d8a026fb7a8c60941a.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Identity theft", "name": "Identity theft" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Fraud", "name": "Fraud" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Criminal justice", "name": "Criminal justice" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc505525/", "id": "R40599_2009May27", "date": "2009-05-27", "retrieved": "2015-05-29T05:37:21", "title": "Identity Theft: Trends and Issues", "summary": "This report first provides a brief federal legislative history of identity theft laws. It analyzes the current trends in identity theft, including prevalent identity theft-related crimes, the federal agencies involved in combating identity theft, and the trends in identity theft complaints and prosecutions. The report also discusses the relationship between data breaches and identity theft as well as possible effects of the FTC's Identity Theft Red Flags Rule, effective November 1, 2009.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20090527_R40599_34decdde164d94a3795428c37a896761927f2b8c.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20090527_R40599_34decdde164d94a3795428c37a896761927f2b8c.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Identity theft", "name": "Identity theft" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Fraud", "name": "Fraud" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Criminal justice", "name": "Criminal justice" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Economic Policy", "Intelligence and National Security" ] }