Identity Theft Handbook

About the Author
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements

1. The Identity Theft Explosion
- What is Identity Theft?
- It Is Not Rocket Science
- Early Days of Credit Cards
- Limiting Losses
- Jail Order Fraud
- Identity Theft was Not a High Priority

2. Game of The Name: How It All Began
- First Identity Theft Victim
- Identity Fraud Connection
- History of Credit Cards
- Growth of Credit Card Fraud
- Even Postal Employees Can Steal
- Recidivism is Common
- Mail Theft and Phony ID
- The Circulation: A Southern California Crime Syndicate

3. How Identity Theft Occurs
- Criminal Roles of Identity Thieves
- How Identity Thieves Steal Your Good Name

4. Student Loan Fraud and the Theft of Identity
- Growth and Impact of Student Loan Fraud
- Financial Fleecing 101: The Case of John Edward Christensen
- A Family Affair of Fraud
- Trying to Make Amends
- Compromise of Student Loan Data
- Admission to the Ivy League Through ID Theft
- More Cases
- It Is Not Just an American Problem
- Department of Education's Outreach Prevention Program

5. Nigerian Criminal Enterprises
- FBI Recognizes the Growing Identity Theft Threat
- Genesis of the Problem
- Credit Card and Identity Fraud
- Highly Confidential Identity Theft “Training Manual”
- Check Fraud
- Advance Fee or “419” Fraud
- Senate Hearings
- Nigerian Criminal Enterprises
- Ongoing Threat of Fraud

6. Methamphetamine, The Mails, and Check Washing
- Mail Theft Problem
- Check Washing: A New Spin on Mail Theft
- All “Methed” Up: The Drug Connection
- Origin of the Problem
- Changing Face of Check Forgery
- Prevention Efforts
- The Problem Continues Today

7. The Violent Side of Identity Theft
- Chicago Parcel Bomb Murder Case
- Mail Theft Turned Violent
- An Identity Thief Turns His Brutality on Law Enforcement

8. Medical Identity Theft
- It Is Often an Insider
- Unprotected Medical Files
- Being Your Own Detective
- Snooping Eyes
- Theft and Fraudulent Use of Physician Names and Licenses
- Life-and-Death Consequences
- It Started with an Innocent Advertisement
- Arizona's Identity Theft Problem
- Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
- Healthcare Records on the Web
- National Health Information Network
- Prevention and Security
- And So It Continues

9. Fake IDs
- Fake IDs on the Web
- Senate Hearing on Phony IDs
- Justice Served
- Interstate Identity Theft and Fake ID Ring
- Operation Catchnet
- Major Fraudulent Document Manufacturing Ring
- Using Identities of the Dead

10. Legislation and Criminal Statutes
- Criminal Statutes
- Legislative Acts
- Impact of Legislation

11. Law Enforcement Efforts
- Metro Richmond Identity Theft Task Force
- Operation Reconcile
- Felony Lane Gang
- Law Enforcement Efforts to Enact Antifraud Legislation
- MIAMI Program
- Financial Industry Mail Security Initiative

12. Teens And Young Adults as Victims And Perpetrators
- Teenage Hacker
- Teen Déjà Vu
- It's So Easy, Even a Child Can Do It
- Evil Mentor
- Child ID Theft
- Prevention and Security for Teenagers and Young Adults

13. Victims and Victimization
- An Identity Theft Nightmare
- Getting a New SSN If All Else Fails
- Operation Gaffle
- Victim and Witness Rights
- Victim Notification System
- Recent Milestones in 'Victims' Rights
- “The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often Go Awry”
- Forever Vigilant

14. The San Diego Experience
- Destination of Choice
- Rise of the NDCBU
- Unforeseen Achilles' Heel
- Thefts and Frauds of the 1980s and 1990s
- Impact of Meth in San Diego
- Emergence of Organized Gangs
- The Way It Is Today

15. The Rich, The Famous, and The Dead Get No Peace
- Dumpster Diving Hits a Home Run
- No Rest for the Dead
- Genealogy and the Risk of Identity Theft
- Who is John Doe?
- What's a Genealogist to Do?
- Identity Thieves are Equal Opportunity Abusers

16. Identity Theft Goes Global
- Australia
- Japan
- United Kingdom
- Morocco
- Brazil
- Russia
- India
- China
- Global Phishing Scheme
- Terrorism And Identity Theft
- Global Identity Theft and Money-Laundering Ring

17. Privacy and Data Breaches
- Loss of Privacy
- Defining "Privacy"
- Data Breaches
- Insider Threats
- Your Home is Their Castle
- Carelessness as a Contributing Factor
- Wireless (In)Fidelity
- TJ Maxx Attack
- P2P Networks
- Botnets: The Zombie Armies of the Internet
- Plunder Down Under
- Protecting PII

18. Identity Theft Research
- Saint Xavier University Study of Identity Theft Incidents
- The President's Identity Theft Task Force
- Federal Trade Commission's 2006 Survey Report

19. The Center for Identity Management and Information Protection
- About CIMIP
- CIMIP and Utica College
- Identity Fraud Trends and Patterns: Building A Data-Based Foundation for Proactive Enforcement
- Executive Summary
- Implications for Law Enforcement

20. Preventing Identity Theft: The 21 Rules You Must Use

21. The Future of Identity Theft
- Predicting the Future
- Making Money From Identity Theft
- Proactive Approach and Education Outreach
- No Country for Identity Thieves

Appendix: Designing an Effective Identity Theft Red Flags Rule Compliance Program

Index