Cyber Crime Fighters: Tales from the Trenches

5Identity Theft

There is yet another dark side to the online world: cyber criminals who seek to scam you, spam you, load nasty things onto your computer, steal your identity, and then steal you blind. They can wreak havoc with your bank account, your credit cards, your computer, your credit rating, your sanity—and never even touch you physically, although the financial and emotional damage is very real. We want to emphasize this point. Just because identity theft is not a physical crime against someone, do not underestimate the amount of fear and stress it puts victims under. It is not a victimless crime by any means.

Identity Theft: The Number-One Type of Fraud

In February of 2008, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ...