Federal Identity Theft Report

Identify theft is the misuse of another individual’s personal information to commit fraud. It is a growing problem in the United States, affecting both consumers and businesses alike. The President’s Identity Theft Task Force recently completed a strategic plan and proposed a number of recommendations to help combat this growing crime. The full report is available online from the federal government at IDTheft.gov.

Knowledge is the first line of defense to protect your personal identity, and the Wireless Washtenaw project team encourages individuals to read the report to better understand the problem at hand. Whether or not you utilize a computer for financial purposes, identify theft can affect you! Section 1(C) on page 13 contains an excellent description of how identify theft occurs, which includes:

• Common Theft and Dumpster Diving
• Employee/Insider Theft
• Electronic Intrusions or Hacking
• Social Engineering: Phishing, Malware/Spyware, and Pretexting
• Stolen Media
• Failure to “Know Your Customer”
• “Skimming”