Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States which has prompted federal and state identity theft laws to be put into place. Sadly more than ten million Americans fall victim to identity theft every year.

It is one of most serious crimes in the United States, and it is one of the easiest crimes to commit. Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes to take a person’s money, ruin their reputation and steal their identity.

What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is the taking of another person’s personal identification information without their permission, consent or authorization. State identity theft laws make it a crime to steal personal information including the following:

  • a person’s name
  • social security number
  • date of birth
  • PIN number
  • driver’s license number
  • checking and savings accounts numbers
  • credit or debit card numbers
  • automated or electronic signatures
  • passwords

Identity Theft Penalty Act and Phishing

In July of 2004 former President George W. Bush signed the landmark Identity Theft Penalty Act into law which allowed for stiffer punishment for those who committed such crimes. The signing of this Act not only increased the punishment but it also changed the crime from being a mere misdemeanor to a federal felony. This law also elevated the maximum punishment from three years to five years.

The Identity Theft Penalty Act also prompted harsher internet identity theft laws. It gave an additional two years time for Phishing which is one of the biggest internet crimes to date. Phishing is the act of sending a fraudulent email to an individual claiming to be from a legitimate business in an attempt to trick the person into sending their personal information such as passwords, credit card numbers, bank account numbers and social security numbers to an illegitimate website for the purpose of stealing their identity.

States with Toughest Laws against Identity Theft

Identity theft is governed on both the federal and state levels. State identity theft laws vary from state to state. Depending on the nature of the crime, punishment can range from a misdemeanor to a federal offense.

State identity theft laws are more severe in the following states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Washington and Wisconsin.

Tips for Protecting against Identity theft

Fortunately in most states there are state identity theft laws in affect, but anyone can become a victim of identity theft at anytime. There are certain measures people should take to help protect against identity theft such as:

limit the amount of credit cards used
protect social security number
do not share PIN numbers
shred all documents that display personal identification information
keep receipts so credit card bills can be cross checked against receipts
never reply to or click on links or pop-up messages that ask for financial or personal information when using the computer

An Increase in Identity Theft Prompts State Identity Theft Laws, From The Love Shop

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