Identity Fraud: Prevalence and Links to Alien Illegal Activities

• NCJ Number: 198869
• Author(s): Richard M. Stana
• Date Published: June 2002
• Length: 15 pages
• Corporate Author: US Government Accountability Office
• Sale Source: US Government Accountability Office; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Legislative Hearing/Committee Report
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security and the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims, Committee on the Judiciary; downloaded June 26, 2002.

Annotation

This testimony by the Director of Justice Issues for the U.S. General Accounting Office focuses on the prevalence of identity theft in the United States and the use of fraudulent documents by aliens entering the United States, often in connection with more serious illegal activities.

Abstract

The testimony defines "identity fraud" as a "broad range of illegal activities based on fraudulent use of identifying information of a real person or of a fictitious person." A pervasive type of identity fraud is "identity theft," which is defined in the testimony as "stealing another person's personal identifying information -- such as Social Security number, date of birth, and mother's maiden name -- and then using the information to fraudulently establish credit, run up debt, take over existing financial accounts, or to undertake other activities in another's name." The prevalence of identity theft is apparently increasing. Since 1998 the U.S. Congress and most States have enacted laws that criminalize identity theft, indicating that this type of crime has been widely recognized as a serious problem across the country. According to information supplied by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officials, the use of fraudulent documents by aliens is extensive. At ports of entry, INS inspectors have intercepted tens of thousands of fraudulent documents in each of the last few years. These documents were presented by aliens attempting to enter the United States to seek employment or obtain other immigration benefits, such as naturalization or permanent residency status. Federal investigations have indicated that some aliens use fraudulent documents in connection with more serious crimes, such as narcotics trafficking and terrorism. Continued efforts to combat identity fraud in its many forms will likely include the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators as well as the use of prevention measures to make key identification documents and information less susceptible to being counterfeited or otherwise used fraudulently. 1 table