Identity Theft Articles

Identity Theft: The Scope of the Problem by Jonathan J. Rusch - Deputy Chief, Fraud Section, Criminal Division - United States Department of Justice - United States Attorneys' Bulletin, March 2008

Jonathan Rusch writes a good article about the types of harms caused by identity theft. Mr. Rusch divides his article into two major sections. Financial harm, where he discusses the actual financial harm of an identity thief using your credit card to make charges. Much of that money the victim does not have to pay if the victim reports the fraudulent transactions. However the identity theft victim might have to pay for notary fees, certified mailings, hiring of counsel, and lost income. The second section of this identity theft article discusses nonfinancial losses, such as lost time spent correcting credit reports, disputing fraudulent accounts, and obtaining new identity documents, also can be substantial.