The Department of Justice (DOJ) today issued a fact sheet on identity theft and released a statement regarding the President’s Identity Theft Plan.

According to the DOJ fact sheet, the DOJ charged 507 defendants with aggravated identity theft in 2006 - more than double the 226 from 2005. Another 1945 defendants were charged with both identity theft and aggravated identity theft. The DOJ fact sheet outlines a number of specific examples of identity theft prosecution in a wide range of schemes.

In other DOJ news, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras today announced the completion of the President’s Identity Theft Task Force strategic plan to combat identity theft at the Federal level.

“Identity theft is a blight on America’s privacy and security landscape,” said FTC Chairman Majoras. “Identity thieves steal consumers’ time, money, and security, just as sure as they steal their identifying information, and they cost businesses enormous sums. The Strategic Plan submitted to the President provides a blueprint for increased federal prevention and protection.”

The plan focuses on ways to improve identity theft prosecutions, ways to enhance data protection, and improved guidance and assistance.

Recommendations include:

• Reduce the use of Social Security numbers by federal agencies
• Create national personal data safeguard standards for the private sector
• Require public disclosure of data breach
• Run an awareness campaign
• Create a National Identity Theft Law Enforcement Center for the coordination of law enforcement agencies
• Amend the identity theft statues (many specific recommendations cited)

For more about identity theft, visit the Task Force’s newly-launched website: www.ftc.gov/idtheft

Tags: doj, department of justice, identity theft, identity law, federal law, presidents task force, identity theft plan