Editorial: New crime warrants its priority

Monday, Dec. 1, 2003 | 9 a.m.

Careless people who leave their wallets or pocketbooks unguarded are no longer the only ones susceptible to identity theft. Today anyone can be a victim just by engaging in normal, everyday transactions. Using a bank card in a store, buying something online with a credit card, throwing away credit card application forms without shredding them, casually giving out your Social Security number -- all of these actions and more can lead to identity theft. According to the Better Business Bureau, identity theft is the fastest-growing white-collar crime in the nation. The Federal Trade Commission's identity-theft hotline gets more than 1,000 calls a week.

This is why were pleased to learn that the U.S. Attorney's office for Nevada is participating in "Operation Cyber Sweep," a program coordinated by the U.S. Justice Department. Last week, as the result of this program, charges were brought against three people, including one from Las Vegas, one from Henderson and another from Illinois. They were charged with various counts of identity theft, including the use of Social Security numbers belonging to other people and buying and selling merchandise using other people's financial information.

Although the Justice Department's top priorities are terrorism, violent crime and drug enforcement, identity theft is fast joining that group. We were glad to hear Natalie Collins, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Nevada, say, "We will be continuing to prosecute these types of crimes, particularly identity theft on the Internet." We were also encouraged when local FBI Special Agent Todd Palmer said "cyber crime" -- electronic crime usually involving identity theft -- is the agency's third-highest priority nationally behind terrorism and foreign intelligence. Palmer confirmed our fears when he said, "(Identity theft) appears to be a growing problem in Nevada. The number of subjects and number of victims appear to be increasing." Clark County Sheriff Bill Young has also made identity theft a priority.

Identity theft can cause financial havoc for victims, many of whom spend years straightening out their credit ratings at a cost of thousands of dollars. In addition to increased enforcement, federal agencies are funneling information to the public. Valuable information is available at www.ifccfbi.gov and www.usdoj.gov

People today are almost forced to use credit cards, bank cards and the Internet in transacting business. As crimes in this field rise, so must the effort by police agencies to fight it.