Identity Theft

Although a relatively new crime, identity theft has dramatically increased in occurrence and severity since the early 1990s. By definition, identity theft is the obtainment and fraudulent use of another person's personal information, which can be relatively innocuous or much more serious. A talented criminal can take another individual's social security number, credit card information, checks, or other personal information, and use that information to impersonate the individual, manipulating a system that increasingly relies on nonpersonal identifiers. The political, legal, and criminal justice systems are struggling to catch up with the identity theft epidemic, while struggling with the technology that gives rise to it.

Auteur

The Authors: David A. May received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Washington State University and is currently in the Department of Government at Eastern Washington University.
James E. Headley received his J.D. from Gonzaga University's School of Law in Spokane, Washington and is currently in the Department of Government at Eastern Washington University.