What is identity theft?
The main news media usually deals with the misuse of "credit" by means of stolen credit cards and falsified identity documents used by the perpetrator to obtain economic advantage without real effort . . . . But, the theft of one's identity can bring disastrous results for the victims of such crime.
The financial loss can be weathered in many cases, but the complete theft of their identity means that the perpetrator usurped the name of the victim to become "legally documented" leaving the victim with the heavy burden of trying to prove that such theft has occurred and that is something very difficult to attain.
Most basic documents do not include a photograph of the subject (i.e. birth and marriage certificates) and not enough controls exist to prevent a different person from obtaining or buying a copy to use for their own purpose.
Add The United States' benign attitude towards an "open" borders system, where visitors can enter the country with minimal identification which has also been accepted by employers when hiring workers . . . the results are clear, a problem of identity theft of pandemic proportion.
Some reports by The Department of State (DOS) do not get wide media exposure.
Few months ago, DOS reported the apprehension of a group of persons who established a passport "expedite" service and after obtaining hundreds of applications moved to Florida to sell the issued passports and the returned documents to illegal persons, leaving the customers who expected to receive their passports directly from their office, without the passports, their money and the submitted documents. Worst, without their identity intact!
Consider that the black market of documents is also being sought by persons who try to conceal their own identity by using someone else's. Prime examples are: sex offenders, convicted felons, parolees, delinquent tax payers, etc.
How can this impact YOU ?
That will be my next subject.
Jose Wer
MSG E-8 USA (Ret) |
