<http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB119284593359965817.html> The Wall Street Journal Identity Thieves, Methods More Diverse Than Believed, Study Finds By CHRISTOPHER CONKEY October 20, 2007; Page A5 WASHINGTON -- As government agencies, schools and many businesses ponder how to combat identity theft, a new research project is challenging some popular assumptions about such crimes and the people who commit them. Results of the study by researchers at the Center for Identity Management and Information Protection at Utica College, New York, found that contrary to the stereotype of a typical offender as a well-educated white male exploiting his computer savvy, the identity thieves and the methods they use are surprisingly diverse. The study, which looked at more than 500 Secret Service cases that closed between January 2000 and March 2007, found that 54% of the offenders were black, 38% were white. Nearly one-third were female. About 71% had no previous criminal record, and many cases involved sloppy data-security practices by businesses like retail stores. The results of the study are slated to be presented at an economic-crime conference Monday in Virginia. The information may prove valuable to law enforcers tasked with profiling perpetrators and investigating crimes. The study will help "identify patterns and trends that may be of value to law enforcement and others engaged in combating the ever-evolving threat of identity theft," said a Secret Service spokesman. According to the study, the methods employed by the identity thieves varied. About half the cases involved use of the Internet or other technological means. The preponderance of cases involved interstate schemes, although nearly one-third were confined to a single urban area. In more than half the cases, it was possible to determine where the offenders obtained the sensitive information necessary to commit the crime. In those instances, businesses such as retail stores were the point of compromise about half the time -- a result of sloppy data-security practices that give hackers, insiders or other thieves easy access to sensitive data. Much less often, identity thieves preyed on acquaintances, relatives or colleagues. Many of the cases were small-time operations composed of one or two people, and the median financial loss per case was around $31,000. About 61% were 34 years old or younger, and roughly one-quarter were foreign-born. The typical defendant was sentenced to two years in prison along with probation. While other studies have tended to focus on the crime from a victim's perspective, relying on consumer interviews and recollections, the latest study offers the first thorough examination of identity thieves based on criminal-justice records. The Secret Service is the main federal law-enforcement agency focused on identity theft. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'