Identity Theft Regulations - are They Enough to Protect Us?

Identity theft is a crime in which unscrupulous individuals obtain another individual's personal information such as driver's license numbers, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers etc. and then use this sensitive information for any number of dubious acts. The crimes that one can commit with someone else's information vary widely. The identity thieves may open accounts in your name and run up bills that will never be paid. They may apply for credit in your name, open up cell phone accounts, or even open checking accounts with the intention of acquiring blank checks. Your identity may also be used by these thieves to obtain false identification. In the worst-case scenarios the criminals will use your identity in the commission of other crimes resulting a warrant for your arrest.

As you can see identity theft can range from irritating to life shattering. So, what is our government doing to protect us? It wasn't until 1998 that identity theft first became a federal crime. Various other laws have been passed since then to try to prevent identity theft as well as punish those committing the crime.

In 2001 the federal banking agencies implemented an act that was meant to establish standards for safeguarding customer information.

In 2003 the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act was passed. This bill set up appropriate standards for the disposal of sensitive credit report information as well as creating guidelines for recognizing patterns and specific forms of identity theft in an effort to prevent identity theft from happening.

In 2004 the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act was signed into law. This law increase the penalties for the people that committed these crimes.

The identity theft act which makes identity theft a federal crime carries penalties of up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of up to $250,000. This law also enables the Secret Service, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies to fight identity theft.

Even with all the laws that have been passed over the years identity theft is still an ever increasing problem. It seems no amount of laws or penalties will deter people from committing this crime. The best thing you can possibly do to protect yourself is to learn how to prevent identity theft from ever happening to you in the first place.