IDENTITY FRAUD: Prevalence and Links to Alien Illegal Activities

Abstract

To discuss the significance of "identity fraud"-a term that encompasses a broad range of illegal activities based on fraudulent use of identifying information of a real person or of a fictitious person. A pervasive type of identity fraud is identity theft, which involves "stealing" another person's personal identifying information- such as Social Security number (SSN), date of birth, and mother's maiden name-and then using the information to fraudulently establish credit, run up debt, take over existing financial accounts, or to undertake other activities in another's name. Also, another pervasive category is the use of fraudulent identity documents by aliens to enter the United States illegally to obtain employment and other benefits. The events of September 11, 2001, have heightened concerns about the contributory role that identity fraud plays in facilitating terrorism and other serious crimes.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 25, 2002
Accession Number
ADA403079

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Commerce
  • Crime
  • Criminals
  • Department Of State
  • Employment
  • Federal Law
  • Homeland Security
  • Information Systems
  • Law
  • Law Enforcement
  • Personnel Management
  • Security
  • Social Security
  • Standards
  • Undocumented Noncitizens
  • United States
  • Websites

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.