Showing papers on "Identity theft published in 2001"

Method and apparatus for insuring an insured from identity theft peril and identity reclamation and credit restoration

Abstract: A method of insuring an insured for identity theft peril. The method includes submitting a claim of identity theft by an insured to an insurer. Thereafter, the method includes the step of investigating the claim of the identity theft peril to verify the identity theft peril. In response to the identity theft being verified, the method includes performing an identity reclamation and a credit restoration process. Further, in response to the identity theft being verified, identifying monetary loss by the insured. Thereafter, dispersing the insurance benefit having a value proportional to the monetary loss. The present invention includes a method for identity reclamation and credit restoration which includes the establishment of a variety of databases having form letter shells for a population of credit bureaus, a population of credit card issuers, a population of financial banking institutions, and a population of utility companies, retailers and other specialty merchants.

Method and apparatus for an integrated identity security and payment system

Abstract: An identity security system ( 10 ) that reduces the likelihood of identity theft and fraud includes a central system ( 12 ) and a portable wireless device ( 15 ). The central system ( 12 ) stores personal data of a party including information regarding one or more payment cards of the party, one or more bank accounts of the party, driver license data of the party, and/or other identification data of the party. The wireless device ( 15 ) electronically connects to the central system ( 12 ). With the present system, using the wireless device ( 15 ), the party can pay for a transaction using the one or more of the payment cards, cause funds to be transferred to or from the bank accounts and/or provide identifying data if necessary.

Human Identification Theory and the Identity Theft Problem

Abstract: I. Introduction Identity theft, already rampant, is among the fastest growing financial crimes in America.1 The best estimates2 place the number of victims in excess of 100,000 per year and the dollar loss in excess of $2 billion per year.3 The growth of identity theft appears to be geometric,4 reflecting the fact that the consumer-credit system has no effective defenses against it. Congress's first attempt to respond to the problem--the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998(5)--has had little effect. Several bills directed at identity theft are now pending in Congress6 and nearly all states have enacted their own legislation. But even the staunchest advocates of the proposed reforms admit that they will not solve the problem.8 Identity theft is out of control.9 Used broadly, "identity theft" refers to any impersonation of a specific individual.10 In the scheme most commonly referred to as identity theft--the one principally addressed in this article--the thief opens a credit account in the name of the victim.11 That account may be a credit-card account, an account for telephone or utility service, a lease of an apartment, or some similar credit extension.12 The thief obtains money, goods, or services, charges them to the account, and then disappears. This type of identity theft has two victims. First, the firm that extends credit (hereinafter the "creditor" or the "defrauded creditor") will lose the amount extended. Second, the person whose name is used (hereinafter the "victim" or the "impersonated victim") will be blamed for the fraud. Defrauded creditors have both legal and practical means for dealing with the problem. They are likely to employ such means as are cost effective, and pass the remaining costs on to their other customers. As developed further below, impersonated victims have neither legal nor practical means for dealing with the problem. This Article principally addresses their plight. Although the impersonated victim is not involved in the fraudulent credit transactions perpetrated by the identity thief and suffers no direct loss from those transactions, the victim usually suffers from various secondary effects. Thinking that it extended credit to the victim, the defrauded creditor initiates collection action against the victim. The action may include phone calls, written demands for payment, refusal to extend future credit, legal action, and perhaps most importantly, credit reporting. This often destroys the victim's ability to obtain credit from any source. In some cases, it may render the victim unemployable or even land the victim in jail.13 The impersonated victims in these scenarios are not liable for the obligations incurred in their names. Thus, the resulting credit reports are false. Nevertheless, those victims have no legal remedy for the false reporting if the credit-reporting agency followed "reasonable procedures."14 Federal law exempts both creditors and the credit-reporting agencies from liability for their false statements about the victims of identity theft. With certain exceptions not relevant here, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act provides: [N]o consumer may bring any action or proceeding in the nature of defamation, invasion of privacy, or negligence with respect to the reporting of information against any consumer reporting agency, any user of information [disclosed in a consumer credit report] or any person who furnishes information to a consumer reporting agency, based on information disclosed [through credit reporting] except as to false information furnished with malice or willful intent to injure such consumer.15 The credit-reporting agency's only duty is to "reinvestigate"--if and when the person reported on demands it.16 In practice, the credit-reporting agency "reinvestigates" by sending the victim's complaint and the disputed information to the creditor who initially furnished the information. …

Identity Theft: The Crime of the New Millenium

Abstract: Identity theft has been referred to by some as the crime of the new millennium. It can be accomplished anonymously, easily, with a variety of means, and the impact upon the victim can be devastating. Identity theft is simply the theft of identity information such as a name, date of birth, Social Security number (SSN), or a credit card number. The mundane activities of a typical consumer during the course of a regular day may provide tremendous opportunities for an identity thief: purchasing gasoline, meals, clothes, or tickets to an athletic event; renting a car, a video, or home-improvement tools; purchasing gifts or trading stock on-line; receiving mail; or taking out the garbage or recycling. Any activity in which identity information is shared or made available to others creates an opportunity for identity theft.

The Benefits and Costs of Online Privacy Legislation

Abstract: Many people are concerned that information about their private life is more readily available and more easily captured on the Internet as compared to offline technologies. Specific concerns include unwanted email, credit card fraud, identity theft, and harassment. This paper analyzes key issues surrounding the protection of online privacy. It makes three important contributions: First, it provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the estimated benefits and costs of regulating online privacy. Second, it provides the most comprehensive evaluation of legislation and legislative proposals in the U.S. aimed at protecting online privacy. Finally, it offers some policy prescriptions for the regulation of online privacy and suggests areas for future research. After analyzing the current debate on online privacy and assessing the potential costs and benefits of proposed regulations, our specific recommendations concerning the government's involvement in protecting online privacy include the following: * The government should fund research that evaluates the effectiveness of existing privacy legislation before considering new regulations. * The government should not generally regulate matters of privacy differently based on whether an issue arises online or offline. * The government should not require a Web site to provide notification of its privacy policy because the vast majority of commercial U.S.-based Web sites already do so. * The government should distinguish between how it regulates the use and dissemination of highly sensitive information, such as certain health records or Social Security numbers, versus more general information, such as consumer name and purchasing habits. * The government should not require companies to provide consumers broad access to the personal information that is collected online for marketing purposes because the benefits do not appear to be significant and the costs could be quite high. * The government should make it easier for the public to obtain information on online privacy and the tools available for consumers to protect their own privacy. The message of this paper is not that online privacy should be unregulated, but rather that policy makers should think through their options carefully, weighing the likely costs and benefits of each proposal.

Preventing Credit Card Fraud and Identity Theft: A Primer for Online Merchants

Abstract: Business to consumer E-commerce is expected to be approximately $23 billion among domestic U.S. E-commerce merchants this year. This is the story that everyone talks about. The hidden story is that, based on last year's numbers, losses due to identity fraud are expected to be in excess of $2.3 billion. These are losses that will be suffered by both dot.com and bricks-and-clicks merchants. All but the most well-established are already feeling the asphyxiating effects of extremely tight capital markets demanding clear plans for profitability. With fraud losses of 10 percent it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to show a profit. If E-merchants recognize the threat and implement cost- effective measures to prevent this identity fraud, they can increase both top and bottom line results.

Human Identification Theory and the Identity Theft Problem

Abstract: This paper builds on the theory of human identification proposed by Professor Roger Clarke and uses the product as the basis for a proposed solution to the identity theft problem. The expanded theory holds that all human identification fits a single model. The identifior matches the characteristics of a person observed in a first observation with the characteristics of a person observed in a second observation to determine whether they are the same person. From the theory it follows that a characteristic used for identification in the credit reporting system, such as social security number, mother's maiden name and date of birth, must be known to all entities participating in that system. Because those characteristics - and any substitute for them - must be distributed so widely, it is unrealistic to think they can at the same time remain secret. Hence the current efforts to curb identity theft by keeping personal information secret are doomed to failure. As an alternative solution to the identity theft problem, this paper proposes a system by which persons concerned about identity theft can register their identities through a government agency that will make their names, social security numbers, and non-sensitive contact information publicly available on an open-access website. Credit grantors and credit reporting agencies would have the option to contact the registrant to verify that he or she is in fact the credit applicant. Creditors who opted to use the system to identify a borrower would retain their current exemption from legal liability for misidentification. Those who did not would be liable for misidentification under common law principles, including theories of defamation, invasion of privacy, and negligence. In cases in which credit grantors and credit reporting agencies used the system, the effect would be to give the individual person control over the process of his or her own identification in credit transactions, with no meaningful loss of privacy.

Protect Your Digital Privacy! Survival Skills for the Information Age

Abstract: Introduction. I. SETTING THE STAGE: PRIVACY IN THE INFORMATION AGE. 1. Protecting Your Privacy in the 21st Century. How Perceptions of Privacy Have Changed Since the Rise of the Internet. Why Do Other People Care About Your Privacy? Why Are People Collecting This Information Anyway? Profiling. We Need Healthy Skepticism and Informed Consent. 2. What Is Privacy in a Digital World? The Right to Be Left Alone... Information About Us Is Not Acquired by Others. The Protection Given to Information. The Ability to Protect Ourselves from Being Judged Out of Context. The Right Not to Be Surprised. Finally, It Comes Down to Control. Fair Information Practices Protect Your Rights. Understanding What Privacy Means to You. II. BECOMING AWARE: PRIVACY AND THE INDIVIDUAL. 3. Who Wants to Know What about Whom? We All Want to Know about Other People. Celebrities Can Educate, Too. Freedom of or Freedom from the Press. Learning to Like New Things. It's All About Trust. 4. Threats to Your Children's Privacy. Are Your Kids in Danger on the Net? What Are the Risks? Your Tone Sets the Stage. What More Can You Do? Discover Your Resources and Options. What Help do Parents Have in Protecting Their Kids? What Companies Must Do. Now You Have All the Tools. 5. Online Disclosures and That Barn Door. Defensive Internet Travels. Information You Share on Purpose. E-mail and Chat Can be Information Collectors, Too. Love Online: A Special Case for Privacy. Urban Legends and "Hi, I'm from Nigeria and..." Safety Tips for Giving Out information About Yourself. Information You Might Not Know You Are Sharing. Polly Wants a Cookie. This Site Brought to You By... Tracking Your Invisibly. What If I Don't Understand the Privacy Policies? Watching You at Home and Work. So, You Always Wanted to Live in a Spy Novel. What If the Police and Courts Get Involved? 6. Broadband: Always on, Always Connected, Always Exposed. Once Connected, Always Connected. What is Broadband? Broadband: Connecting the World. The Big Question Is Not "What Do I Have to Hide?"- It's "Who's in Control?" Some Questions to Ask Your (Potential) Broadband Provider. Keep Your Eyes Open Keep Your Guard Up. 7. Privacy over the Airwaves. Understanding Cellular Technology. The Wireless Spectrum. There's Gold in Those Profiles. Technology to the Rescue? 8. Do the Walls Have Ears? Other Devices That Can Affect Privacy. We Can Pick You Out in a Crowd of Strangers. By Air, by Land, or by Sea-GPS Isn't Just for Planes and Fish Anymore. No More Waiting in Line-We'll Bill You. Just Wave Your Fob at the Register. Check Yourself Out. Stop or We'll Shoot (Your Picture, That Is). Glitches Mean Tickets Tossed Out. What Happens When You Add It All Up? III. TAKING CONTROL. 9. Taking an Inventory of Your Personal Information. Where Are Youuuu? Whooo Are Youuu? Finding You at Home. What's the Point? Where Am I From? Uncle Sam (and His Younger Cousins) Lists You! Our Conclusions? 10. The Least You Should Do to Guard Your Privacy When Online. Keeping Your Data Private. Some Key Concepts. Files. Getting Rid of Files and Data. Summary for the Most Privacy Conscious. Online Session Privacy. Protecting Against Malicious Attacks. E-mail Privacy. What About Macs? Putting It All Together. Some General Security Resources. 11. How to Secure Your Internet Transactions. Can You Let Your Fingers Do the Shopping? Look For and Read the Privacy and Security Policies. Seal Organizations. Practice Safe Shopping. Don't Let Anyone Steal Your Good Name. Safe Surfing. Using E-mail and Chatting Online Safely. Remember: You Can Stay in Control. 12. What Can I Do If My Privacy Is Compromised? Telephone and Similar Listings. Toss the Spam. But Don't Toss the Privacy Notices. Buying Items that Don't Exist and Similar Mistakes. I Am Not Me: Identity Theft. Invasions Can Be Harmful to Your Health. IV. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR PRIVACY. 13. Privacy and the Law: 2001. What Is the Law? Is Privacy a Right? What U.S. Federal Law Applies. What Is the Law within the Several States? If We've Got All These Laws, Why Would We Need More?(The Regulatory Climate: 2001). Laws Around the World. What About Laws that Don't Exist Yet? Be Your Own Advocate. Privacy and Security Legislation in Congress. Do I Need to Go to the Capitol Myself? Other Influences on Legislation. 14. Canaries in the Coal Mine. The ACLU: The Granddaddy of Canaries. CDT: Washington-based Songs. CPSR: Folk Songs of Freedom. EFF: Western Songs. EPIC: Strong Songs. Privacy International: Songs from the Old Country. Privacy.org: A Duet. Global Internet Liberty Campaign: Songs Around the World. Global Internet Policy Initiative: International Songs of Liberty. Junkbusters: Catchy Jingles. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: Teaching Songs. Singing Along Together. 15. Self-Regulation and Privacy. What Self-Regulation Is and How It Works. Privacy Policies. Today's Self-Regulatory Leaders. Seal Organizations. Wrapping It Up and Sealing It for You. V. PRIVACY AND THE FUTURE. 16. Internet Voting: Don't Try This at Home Yet... How We Do It Now. Should We Change? Where We Might Go. How Might We Get There? Toward Improved Elections for All. 17. Where Are We Going? Your Behavior Can Make a Big Difference. Corporate and Marketing Practices. Technology Helps and Hurts. Legislation and Regulation. Taking the Single Step. Eternal Vigilance Is the Price of Liberty. 18. Can You Really Be Anonymous? Work Qualifications Need Records, Too. Can You Avoid A Paper Trail? The Urge to Make Lists. Does the Pattern Add Up Correctly? The Urge to Not Be Noticed. VI. APPENDIXES. Appendix A: Glossary. Appendix B: Expanded Privacy Checklist. Personally Identifiable Information. Notice. Choice. Access. Security. What Am I Revealing about Myself? Appendix C: List of Privacy Bills in the States in 2001. Appendix D: Our Co-Conspirators. Appendix E: Privacy-Related Web sites. Personal Web Sites. Organizational Sites. Technology Sites. Index.

E-commerce and identity fraud

Abstract: This paper focuses on the subject of personal and corporate identity in the UK, the ways in which identity can be substantiated, and the methods used by fraudsters to invent identities or copy other people's identities. The setting for this is the Internet, as utilised as a channel of introduction by two market sectors - retail and financial services. The paper considers the availability and suitability of deploying fraud prevention solutions to reduce substantiated fraud and discourage repeat attacks.

Identity theft: when bad things happen to your patients' and employees' good name.

Abstract: What should healthcare facility security directors and administrators do when patients or employees are the victims of identity theft? Taking the right steps to safeguard personal data won't insulate your facility from ever having to deal with this growing crime but, says the author, it will reduce the opportunity and desire for a criminal to steal the data.

Identity Theft: Who Are You Anyway?

Abstract: When farmer Jones walked into the general store in town, the storeowner — or one of his employees — would greet him personally. The storeowner knew whether farmer Jones' credit was good, what his buying habits were, and how he would settle his account. If someone else came in pretending to be farmer Jones, he had to look and act like farmer Jones, and if he didn't pull it off, he risked physical detention. Of course, there may be places today that are like the television show Cheers where everyone knows us. In cyberspace, however, our computer has a better chance to be known than we do.

Identity theft: what can we learned?

Abstract: In this digital world, we are no longer known as an individual. The communications and transactions are carried out through computers. Therefore, the case of identity theft has been a major issue to the advanced nations. Malaysia as a developing country needs to learn from them in combating the issue of identity theft. Therefore, various types of identity theft can be categorized as misuse of other people’s information through the online transactions. Solutions to the identity theft are proposed in the Malaysian context.

Limiting Identity Theft in an E-Commerce World

Abstract: The author recounts the pre-E-SIGN history of statutory treatment of electronic transactions, outlines the central features of E-SIGN, and compares the consumer protection aspects of E-SIGN to the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA). The paper then turns to the subject of identity theft and shows why E-SIGN is deficient, not only because it failed to address the problem, but because it created additional opportunities for identity theft and related security problems for consumers.

Law Relating To Theft

Abstract: History and Preliminary Matters Theft Robbery Burglary and Aggravated Burglary Removal of Articles from Places open to the public Taking conveyances without Authority and aggravated vehicle-taking Abstracting of Electricity and theft from mails Deception offences in the 1968 Act The Theft Act 1978 False Accounting and other offences of fraud Blackmail Handling Stolen Property Going Equipped for Burglary, Theft or Cheat.

Brokering Trust in Online Privacy: Analysis of Issues and Options

Abstract: Public opinion surveys and anecdotal reports indicate that the public is both excited about the potential opportunities offered by the Internet and at the same time wary about loss of privacy online. A recent survey (Harris and Westin 1998) revealed that 81 percent of Internet users who buy products and services over the Internet are concerned about threats to their personal privacy while online and 72 percent are concerned about someone tracking what Websites people visit and using this information improperly. Press reports of “identity theft” are increasing as individuals find that their alter-egos are applying for credit with information that likely was obtained by “data-mining” for Social Security numbers and demographic information on the Internet.