Recently in Information on Identity Theft Category

A new study by the Economic Crime Institute work group, based at Utica College, has found that a surprising number of identity thieves are women.

The researchers have been given access to Secret Service case files on identity theft spanning from 2000 to 2006. The group’s findings provide the first-ever look at the criminals and victims in major identity theft cases.

Frank William Abagnale, Jr. is a former con artist, forger and impostor who, for five years in the 1960s, forged checks worth more than $2.5 million. Mr. Abagnale currently runs Abagnale and Associates, a financial fraud consultancy company. His life story provided the inspiration for the film Catch Me if You Can.

NPR has produced an excellent segment on what you can do to protect your identity from criminals.

At least 7 million Americans are victims of identity theft each year. Criminals are stealing Social Security cards and driver's licenses, sending fake emails and "dumpster diving" to gain access to private information. It can happen to anyone and it can take years to repair your credit history after someone wreaks havoc on your credit. Join us on this edition of Justice Talking as we identify solutions for identity theft and ask whether Congress, state legislators and private businesses are doing enough to protect your good name.

Record the CNN Presents Classroom Edition: Identity Theft: How to Rob a Bank when it airs commercial-free on Monday, August 27, 2007 from 4:00- 5:00 a.m. ET on CNN. (A short feature begins at 4:00 a.m. and precedes the program.)

Program Overview

If Bonnie and Clyde were alive today, they would not be using guns for their heists. Instead, they would probably use stolen identities -- the modern method for looting bank accounts, laundering checks and defrauding credit card companies. Drawing on documents from criminal cases, surveillance tapes and immigration records, as well as interviews with law enforcement agents, victims and criminals, CNN Presents goes inside the murky world of identity theft to expose what the bandits do after stealing identities.

Source: cnn.com