Preventing Identity Theft: Perspectives on Technological Solutions from Industry Insiders

ABSTRACT

An estimated 26 million American citizens per year have been victims of an identity-based crime. This study contributes to the scholarship on financial crimes facilitated through identity-based criminal activity by examining the views on technological approaches to the prevention of identity theft among 50 professionals working in the identity-based crime victim services, including those from the public sector and private industry. The professionally diverse sample included private investigators, fraud examiners, victim service providers, and executives of firms offering victim services and protection services. Data were collected during a series of focus groups held at professional conferences. The paper reports on the views held by focus group participants on specific technological solutions to identity theft victimization, including biometric scanning, dark web scanning, subscription -based monitoring programs, and broader thematic observations about the current environment for protecting information, emerging sources of risk, and policy recommendations identified by focus group participants. Perspectives from insiders about the pros and cons of each approach can provide researchers and enforcement agencies with enhanced capacity to avoid empty technological promises that fail to protect victims from subsequent victimizations.

KEYWORDS:

• Identity Theft
• Fraud
• White-Collar Crime

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our appreciation to the staff of the ITRC, specifically Mona Terry and Charity Lacey, for assisting us with recruitment of interviewees. This study would also not have been possible without the willingness of interviewees to share their stories with us. Finally, the editorial and managerial staff at Development Services Group, Inc. provided support and review of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors of this study have no conflicts of interest that may shape or limit the study.

Notes

1. Serious identity-based crime is defined as any incident of identity theft and fraud other than those involving only the misuse of an existing credit card.

2. The type of business was modified slightly to protect the organization’s anonymity.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by [grant number 2016–VF–GX–K006], awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.