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When They Know Too Much
It could be happening to you right now, and you don't know it. Someone could be using your name to open credit accounts,
take out bank loans, and even buy a car. It's called Identity Theft, and it's likely to be the fastest growing crime of the
future.
The Sheriff's Internet Crime Task Force is on patrol, searching the Internet for those digital criminals who
are seeking economic gain at the expense of innocent third parties.
We have investigated, tracked down, and arrested
more Internet identity thieves in Michigan that any other government agency. We were the first police agency in Michigan to
arrest suspects under Michigan's new Credit Identity Theft Law, which took effect on February 3, 2000. Solving Internet Identity
Thefts is one of our highest priorities.
In the most basic terms, identity theft is the assumption of another individual's
name. There are similarities between a teen-ager using a fake ID to purchase tobacco or alcohol and a thief utilizing stolen
identity and credit information to purchase large-ticket items. In both instances, identities are appropriated in order that
the owner's rights and privileges may be extorted for personal and unlawful gain.
A report prepared by the National
Fraud Center divides identity thieves into three categories:
The thief who knows the victim,
The amateur of unsophisticated
thief,
The professional thief who works alone or in an organized group.
National Fraud Center
The greatest strength of the Internet, the free-flow of information is also its greatest weakness. Everything form Social
Security Records to Veterans Administration data to health information and an individual's driving records is now available
for the taking. Identity Theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, affecting approximately 500,000 new victims
each year.
The Internet is making identity theft one of the signature crimes of the digital era. Any web surfer can
find websites selling all sorts of personal information and, with that information in hand thieve can acquire credit, make
purchases and even secure homes.
Identity Theft Resource Center
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