California Law Enforcement Cracking Down on Identity Theft

According to a recent press release posted to Market Watch, a division of The Wall Street Journal, California law enforcement officials will soon be attending an identity theft training. This news indicates that law enforcement is cracking down on this form of crime and expanding their tactics to do so. Research suggests that credit card fraud is the most common form of identity theft with phone fraud and bank fraud following close behind.

The top complaint that the Federal Trade Commission receives on a yearly basis is identity theft, making up 26 percent of all complaints. California has the third highest identify theft per capita, ranking closely to Arizona and Florida. This was one of the reasons that a need was seen for additional training on identity theft. The rise in awareness for this particular crime may mean that California will see an increase in convictions and identity theft charges.

Hacking into computer networks is one of the most common ways a person can get charged with identity theft. Large amounts of personal data can be obtained when access is granted to someone's personal computer. Another way that identity theft can occur is by way of email. Text messages and other forms of electronic communication can be used to impersonate a legitimate agency for the purpose of gaining information fraudulently.

This particular training is taking place in San Francisco this year. In past years it has been held in cities such as San Diego and Los Angeles. It is presented by LifeLock, a company founded in 2005 that promises to protect people's identities for a small monthly payment. Identity theft is an incredibly serious charge, with consequences that get more severe depending on the amount of money stolen and the method by which the information was obtained.