Federal Identity Theft Task Force
The Federal Identity Theft Task Force was created in May, 2006. It is made up of 17 federal
agencies and departments. These include the FBI, the United States Secret Service(USSS), the United
States Postal Inspection Service(USPIS), and the Social Security Administration office of the Inspector
General (SSA OIG). These are empowered to investigate identity theft. Federal authorities lead or co-
lead 96 task forces and working groups devoted to identity theft. Thus, the Department of Justice has
prosecuted thousands of cases of identity theft every year.
There are some things that they suggest for decreasing your risks. One of these is decreasing the
use of social security numbers for identifying individuals. Including decreasing the circulation of paper
documents with your social security number on them. I agree with this. You should shred or burn mail
with personal identifying information. You should encrypt personal computers and devices. You should
use wallets that block RFDI chips. It is better to use cash instead of credit cards. You cannot read
personal information on cash. They recommend alternative methods of identifying individuals, like
biometrics. They suggest workshops should be held to focus on developing and promoting these
improved means.
The Identity Theft Task Force also recommends extending restitution for victims by amending
the criminal restitution laws to require the defendants to pay for the time it takes the victim to repair
the damage. I.e. The time on the phone arguing over bills because of the identity theft. I agree with this
as well. It can take a lot of time to repair the damage done. I’ve had my identity stolen, sadly it was my
own mother, and I am still trying to repair the damage years later.
Last year there was over 15 million victims and over 50 billion in damages. A lot needs to be
done to stop identity theft.