Identity theft

From Saferpedia

Identity theft- theft of personal data like name, date of birth, card credit number and using these fraudulent. Identity theft is a crime - Law number 161/2003, Title III regarding access without having the right to an informational system. In Romania there is still no complete legislative system regarding this crime so the identity theft is punished according to European directives in force, namely EU Directive no 2007/64/EC.

Theft in general

Romanian Penal Code in article no 208, Title III - Crimes against patrimony - regulates theft as being: take a movable object from possession or detention of another, without his/her consent, in order to unfairly make it his/hers. This act is punishable by imprisonment from one (1) to twelve (12) years. Movable objects are considered to be any object that has an economical value and writings also. The act is considered theft even if the object was owned entirely or partially by the doer, but at the moment the act was committed the good was in legitimate possession or ownership of another person. A more serious variant, with a higher social risk provided in article no 209 is larceny.

Brief History

Theft is criminalized by the penal laws and by the moral laws. The Decalogue, known as the ten commandments from the Bible, by commandment number eight says:"Do not steal". Punishments for robbery appear in old law codes: robbery is punishable by death in Ur-Nammu code 2100-2050 BC. Theft is referred to in Ehsnunna's (around 1930 BC) laws also, or in Hammurabi's code (around 1790 BC).

In the old Romanian code there were detailed regulations regarding the crimes of theft and robbery. Vasile Lupu's laws (The book for teachings from 1646) and Matei Basarab (Straitening the law, 1652), penal ledgers of Alexandru Sturdza (1826) in Moldova and Barbu Ştirbei (1850) in Muntenia, contained provisions regarding crimes against patrimony.

Identity theft

Identity theft is the crime of pretending to be someone else while using his/hers personal data in order to steal money or to obtain other benefits. This act happens when a person uses your personal information (name, Social number, credit card number) without having your permission in order to commit crimes.

The term of identity theft is used since 1964. The person whose identity is used may suffer different consequences because he/she is responsible by aggressor's actions. Identity theft is different from the identity fraud but the terms are used alternatively. Identity fraud is the result of identity theft. Someone may steal from somebody else information without committing identity fraud. The best example is a breach in a database.

Identity theft has various forms. Identity thieves may rent an apartment or obtain a credit card.

Types of identity thefts

Identity theft may be divided in five groups:

commercial identity theft;
penal identity theft (pretend to be someone else when they are suspected of committing a crime);
identity cloning (assuming another identity in everyday life);
medical identity theft (to obtain medical care);
financial identity theft (to obtain services).

Internet theft

Internet theft term (according to justice department of USA) refers to any fraud that uses one or more internet components: e-mail, discussion forums, chat channels or websites.

One of the most dangerous threats over the internet is the identity theft. Attacks like phishing, hacking, keylogger or spy-phishing are often realized via e-mail.

Ways to avoid internet theft

The best method to avoid internet theft is to knowing the risks and respecting the rules. The following principles has to be respected:

install, update and maintain firewall applications and intrusion detection software including those that offer antivirus and anti-spyware protection .
to use the last versions of web browser and allow updates;
to be cautious when replying e-mails that request data regarding bank accounts;
to not send personal or financial data via e-mail;
to not open attachments received from unknown people;
to be informed regarding latest news in the IT security area;
using individual firewall and anti-virus software.

This term is in development.
Contribute on developing this term.