Identity Theft and the Internet
Mary Ann Bell, Bobby Ezell, James L. Van Roekel · 2024
Identity theft using the Internet involves the assumption of another person’s identity often for the purpose of creating new fraudulent accounts, gaining access to the victim’s existing accounts, or establishing credentials that allow the criminal to use the name of the victim for illegal or questionable purposes. Identity theft has become a significant problem in our country, causing in some cases substantial financial and personal woes for its victims. Victims not only suffer potential economic loss but also suffer from the loss of their good name as they try to reestablish credit and to convince others that they are innocent of creating a new account filled with illegal charges or of withdrawing funds from an existing account.