The bad guys hate perfect, so we should be working with consumers to stop them.

I deal with the ugly aftermath of one type of cybercrime, helping consumers recover from identity theft. As a result, I am passionate about letting consumers know about online and real world sources of the crime.
Organizations like mine are joining forces to recruit consumers – who are also your customers and employees – in the fight against cybercrime. Expect to see major public education outreach in October as National Cyber Security Week, an initiative of the National Cyber Security Alliance, a month that also features Protect Your Identity Week, a coalition spearheaded by the National Consumer Counseling Association.

There are also professional organizations, like the Anti-Phishing Working Group and the Online Trust Alliance, that develop ideas and solutions to educate and arm consumers.

The obstacles to engaging consumers in the fight against cyber crime are enormous – more about that next time – but we ignore consumers at our peril. I encourage you to consider joining professional organizations like these. In this fight, it takes an army.

As the leader of ITAC, the Identity Theft Assistance Center – a pioneer in helping victims of identity crime – I want to celebrate National Crime Victims Rights’ Week and urge colleagues in other industries affected by identity crime to join ITAC in addressing the needs of identity crime victims.

ITAC was created in 2003 by The Financial Services Roundtable and its member companies. Since the victim assistance center opened in 2004, ITAC has helped more than 66,000 individuals recover from identity fraud. Our unique service is free to consumers and paid for by their financial services company.

ITAC is committed to putting the consumer first and solving fraud from the consumer’s vantage point. It’s often noted, and it’s true, that identity crime has more than one victim. Identity crime wreaks havoc on merchants, government agencies, banks, colleges, and others. But it’s the individual whose personal information is compromised who experiences not just financial loss but also the fear and frustration of identity crime, and most needs help in getting through that experience. ITAC calls on colleagues in retailing, telecommunications, health care and elsewhere to commit themselves to fairness, dignity and respect for identity crime victims.

One area that has not received much coverage is the prosecution of identity theft crimes. Last week, Rita M. Glavin, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice, testified at House Homeland Security Committee hearing on PCI standards. Assistant Attorney General Glavin cited some very sobering statistics: there are more than 2,000 active cases related to identity theft pending in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices. She said there has been a 138.2 percent increase in identity theft convictions between 2004 and 2008.

The federal stats made me wonder about the number of state and local prosecutions. Conventional wisdom is that the federal prosecutions are the just the tip of the iceberg. U. S. Attorneys all over the country apply standards including big dollar losses, lots of victims, and “winability” to filter out any where from 50 percent to 90 percent of the cases in order to make the most of their limited resources.

So, how many state prosecutions for identity theft are there? Individual states publish data but I couldn’t find a compilation of state prosecutions. Is there one out there?

Does it matter? Well, there’s a sense that identity theft is a crime that isn’t punished. Maybe that’s why only about one-third of identity theft victims file a police report according to a recent report by Javelin Strategy & Research. Would more consumers file a police report if they thought the crook was likely to be prosecuted? Hard to know but I bet they would.

So, the question is…where is the data about state prosecutions? If you can point us to other resources, we would greatly appreciate it.

Why did the financial services industry spend $2 million to create ITAC’s victim assistance service? Because identity theft is a terrible experience that can corrode trusted relationships. In addition to ensuring that customers regain their financial standing and good name after becoming a victim, it is vital for businesses to maintain the trust of their customers

ITAC’s victim assistance service cuts recovery time and calms the anxiety of identity theft. An ITAC agent walks the consumer through his or her credit report to find suspicious activity. Then, ITAC notifies each company where fraud may have occurred.

And, the reality is that everyone, not just financial services companies that should be thinking about preserving “trust” with their customers.

Virtually every industry (and government agency) uses sensitive personal information of customers and employees. If the emerging privacy model is responsible use – businesses may collect and use personal information provided they do so responsibly – isn’t helping the consumer recover from the misuse of personal information key to responsible use?

The ITAC model works for the financial services sector. Can it work for others, including telecommunications, retail and transportation? We want to hear from other industry leaders about building and maintaining public trust.

History and literature are full of heroes and villains who used identity theft to achieve their ends but knowing who you are dealing with has never been more important, or more difficult.

The risks of identity theft to our economy and our security are enormous. For consumers, the risks are both economic and deeply personal. For five years, ITAC has been helping consumers – more than 50,000 – recover from identity theft. Hearing their stories drives our passion to protect others from identity theft.
ITAC is all about collaboration, starting with the 50 financial services companies that funded the first-ever collaborative victim assistance service. ITAC partners with law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission in fighting identity crime.

But, we are always looking for ways around and through the walls that separate business from business, industry from government and industry from industry. The criminals are not limited by geographic boundaries or business silos. That means we – the “good guys” – must talk to each other across corporate and geographic boundaries to find lasting solutions.

That’s why we are launching this blog, which aims to be the definitive source for all things regarding identity theft and identity management.

This new online forum will allow industry professionals, policymakers, attorneys, information security and privacy experts, law enforcement, researchers and academics to exchange opinion, ideas and best practices.

Please make our blog a part of your daily reading. More important, we want to hear from you. Feel free to offer your opinions and expertise by posting comments, or email us directly with a story idea.

This is your resource and your voice will be heard.

Anne Wallace
President
ITAC, the Identity Theft Assistance Center