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Identity fraud

The internet is increasingly being used to steal enough personal information to assume another’s identity according to the OECD. This is a crime called identity theft and is closely linked with identity fraud, which is using another’s personal information without permission. Identity fraud can be very costly to the victim, damaging their finances, reputation and credit rating. It can also support terrorist and criminal activities. The latest research on this topic from both Australia and overseas is accessible through the AIC’s website, together with links to useful information on how to protect your personal and financial identity.

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• Australia
• United Kingdom
• United States

Australia

Links

• Protect your financial identity
  Australian Bankers' Association, the Australian High Tech Crime Centre and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission
• Whole of Government Identity Fraud Project
  Australian Government Attorney-General's Department

Reports

• National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007 : identity theft reported by households, 2007 : statistical tables
  Bureau of Justice Statistics. Jun 2010
• Scoping paper on online identity theft (PDF 1.05MB)
  Brigitte Acoca, Paris : OECD. 2008
• Identity crime : final report (PDF 142kB)
  Model Criminal Law Officers' Committee of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, 2008
• Organised crime in Australia (PDF 516kB)
  Australian Crime Commission, 2008
• Investigation into VicRoads driver licensing arrangements (PDF 1.6MB)
  Ombudsman Victoria, 2007
• Review of the legal status and rights of victims of identity theft in Australaia (PDF 605kB)
  The Australasian Centre for Policing Research (ACPR), 2006
• Standardisation of definitions of identity crime terms : a step towards consistency (PDF 444kB)
  The Australasian Centre for Policing Research (ACPR), 2006
• Identity fraud (PDF 228kB)
  Nicolee Dixon. Queensland Parliamentary Library, 2005
• ID theft - a kit to prevent and respond to identity theft
  National Crime Prevention Program, Attorney-Generals' Department 2004
• Standardisation of definitions of identity crime terms (PDF 65kB)
  Australasian Centre for Policing Research, 2004
• Australasian identity crime policing strategy 2003-2005
  Police Commissioners' Conference Electronic Crime Steering Committee, 2003
• Fraud and identity theft
  Roza Lozusic. New South Wales Parliamentary Library, 2003
• Preventing identity-related fraud
  AICrime reduction matters, 2003
• Scoping identity fraud : an abridged version of a report on identity fraud risks in Commonwealth agencies (Microsoft Word 230kB)
  Geoff Main PSM and Brett Robson, 2001

Conference papers and presentations

• Proof of ID required? Getting identity management right (PDF 521kB)
  Malcolm Crompton. Australian IT security forum, 2004
• Certainty of identity : a fundamental of security
  David Hawker. Seminar on e-security and e-crime, 2001

United Kingdom

• Identity Fraud Steering Committee
  Home Office
• Identity theft : do you know the signs? (PDF 95kB)
  Fraud Advisory Panel, 2003

United States

• Identity Theft Resource Centre
• Identity Theft : Prevention and Survival
• Identity theft articles
  Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• In the spotlight : identity theft
  National Criminal Justice Reference Service
• National Resource about Identity Theft
  Federal Trade Commission
• Identity theft literature review (PDF 1.64MB)
  Graeme R Newman and Megan M McNally, 2005
• National and state trends in fraud and identity theft, January-December 2003 (PDF 1.24MB)
  Federal Trade Commission, 2004
• Identity theft : the aftermath 2006 (PDF 190kB)
  Identity Theft Resource Centre, survey results, 2006
• Identity theft survey report (PDF 5.34MB)
  Synovate, Federal Trade Commission, 2003
• Identity fraud : a critical national and global threat (PDF 1.02MB)
  Gary G Gordon and Norman A Willox. Economic Crime Institute, 2003
• Special report for retail business on identity theft (PDF 38kB)
  US Department of Justice and Canada Department of Solicitor-General, 2003
• Identity fraud : prevalence and links to alien illegal activities (PDF 107kB)
  General Accounting Office, 2002
• Identity fraud : providing a solution (PDF 248kB)
  Norman A Willcox Jr and Thomas M Regan, 2002
• Identity theft : available data indicate growth in prevalence and cost (PDF 159kB)
  General Accounting Office, 2002
• Identity theft : greater awareness and use of existing data are needed (PDF 476kB)
  General Accounting Office, 2002
• Identity theft : prevalence and cost appear to be growing (PDF 953kB)
  General Accounting Office, 2002
• International cooperation in on-line identity theft investigations : a hopeful future but a frustrating present (PDF 54kB)
  Michael J Elston and Scott A Stein, 2002
• Identity theft : authentication as a solution (revisited) (PDF 39kB)
  Norman A Willcox Jr and Thomas M Regan, 2001
• Identity fraud and transnational crime
  Juan Gabriel Ronderos, 2000
• Internet identity theft : a tragedy for victims (PDF 63kB)
  Tom Arnold, 2000
• Identity fraud : information on prevalence, cost, and internet impact is limited (PDF 184kB)
  General Accounting Office, 1998

Recent publications

• Personal fraud in Australia
  19 September 2008
• Identity fraud and theft in Australia
  27 February 2008
• Underground markets in stolen digital information
  15 May 2007
• Protecting personal identity
  03 April 2007
• Zombies and botnets
  04 March 2007
• Consumer scams in Australia : an overview
  04 February 2007
• Identification systems : a risk assessment framework
  04 September 2006
• Identification processes in the higher education sector: risks and countermeasures
  04 December 2005
• Art crime
  04 October 2000
• Identity related economic crime : risks and countermeasures
  04 September 1999
• Electronic medicare fraud: current and future risks
  04 May 1999
• Plastic card fraud
  04 July 1997

Recent events

• International Serious and Organised Crime Conference 2010
  18 October 2010