Identity theft has been around since at least the 16th century, but with the advent of computers and the internet, new methods such as phishing and spoofing have emerged. The US Federal Trade Commission has identified it as the fastest growing crime in the US, with thefts increasing in size. The largest case of identity theft was in 2006, where three conspirators stole over 130 million debit and credit card numbers from three companies.
Identity theft refers to the unauthorized and illegal use of another person’s personal information, to obtain money or other valuables through the use of the name, steal money from the person, or assume that person’s identity person more fully, including representation. Although several dictionaries list the origin of the term identity theft in the 1990s, suggesting that the history of identity theft has fairly recent origins, the term appears in the Palm Beach Post as early as March 8, 1986, and the series of events that led to this article began as early as 1982. The case involved two men who were briefly college roommates, one of whom took over the other’s identity and used him while he joined the Army, was arrested, and obtained a social security card, credit cards and driver’s license – making life incredibly difficult for his victim. However, the history of identity theft dates back to at least the 16th century, when the identity of Gascon farmer Martin Guerre was stolen by an imposter who took control of his life until the real Martin returned.
With the advent of computers and the internet, phishing and spoofing provided new ways for identity thieves to work, but old school identity theft using information obtained in other ways – from junk, stolen or lost wallets or knowledge, for example – continue. One notable case in the history of non-computer-dependent identity theft includes a 2008 case involving a mother who stole her daughter’s identity – living elsewhere at the time – in order to attend high school and become a cheerleader. Another notorious case in the history of identity theft is the welcome performances in Hong Kong in August 2000 of the so-called Moscow Philharmonic, which was actually not the Moscow Philharmonic, performing in France, Portugal and Spain at the time. The artists who went to Hong Kong apparently came from other “minor” Russian orchestras.
In the most recent history of identity theft. the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has identified it as the fastest growing crime in the US, and the size of thefts has also increased. For a number of years, the theft of 30,000 passwords by Philip Cummings, who worked a help desk at Teledata Communications in 2000-2001, was the largest case of identity theft. However, since 2006, three conspirators have stolen more than 130 million debit and credit card numbers from three companies. As of 2010, this was the largest identity theft.
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