NCJ Number
223727
Date Published
2008
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This chapter explores the conceptual and procedural complexities associated with the issue of identity theft.
Abstract
Stories of identity theft are variations on a single theme: the misuse of someone’s personal information (or identity) in order to facilitate fraud. All of the stories, however, share a basic progression of events. Each of these stages or scenes (Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3) is linked within a generalized chronology. First, personal information is obtained and subsequently compromised (often repeatedly). Second, a victim then discovers the misuse and has a chance to respond. Third, the offender’s path will eventually end in either capture or desistance, but his/her activities may continue to have an adverse impact on the victim beyond the point of the offender’s apprehension. The chapter draws an analogy between this model of identity theft and the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A youth unlawfully enters a residence (Time 1), commits acts that ostensibly result in criminal harm (Time 2), and is caught red-handed (Time 3). The general message of this story is identical to that of identity theft, in that they both pertain to invading the privacy of others, but there are other similarities between them that can be helpful in visualizing the meaning and the mechanics of identity theft. Although this identity theft script can be varied according to scenarios, more detailed information must be collected about the specific sequence of events involved at each basic stage and the interactions among various types of actors and props over time. One of the most crucial questions about identity theft has been the most difficult to answer: what is the role of technology in identity theft, whether related to its commission, its detection, or the response? 16 notes and 16 notes