[Clips] New [chip & pin] technology may increase identity theft
R.A. Hettinga
rah at shipwright.com
Tue Sep 6 14:58:18 EDT 2005
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Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 14:55:23 -0400
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From: "R.A. Hettinga" <rah at shipwright.com>
Subject: [Clips] New technology may increase identity theft
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<http://news.com.com/2102-1029_3-5850138.html?tag=st.util.print>
New technology may increase identity theft
By Reuters
http://news.com.com/New+technology+may+increase+identity+theft/2100-1029_3-5850138.html
Story last modified Mon Sep 05 16:35:00 PDT 2005
New technology could increase rather than solve the problem of identity
theft and fraud, a British criminologist said Monday.
Identity cards and chip and pin technology for credit cards will force
fraudsters to be more creative and are unlikely to alleviate the problem,
said Emily Finch, of the University of East Anglia in England.
Dependence on technology was leading to a breakdown in individual
vigilance, which experts believe is one of the best ways to prevent fraud
and identity theft, Finch said.
"There is a worrying assumption that advances in technology will provide
the solution to identity theft whereas it is possible that they may
actually aggravate the problem," she told the British Association science
conference.
"Fraudsters adapt their behavior to suit the circumstances," she said.
Finch, who interviewed criminals about why and how they commit crimes and
the impact new technology is likely to have on them, found fraudsters were
tenacious and would change their methods to elude new security measures.
"Studying the way that individuals disclose sensitive information would be
far more valuable in preventing identity fraud than the evolution of
technologically advanced but ultimately fallible measures to prevent misuse
of personal information after it has been obtained," she added.
Data from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Survey Report
released two years ago showed that 4.6 percent of 4,000 randomly selected
people questioned in a poll had been the victim of some form of identity
theft in the past year.
Finch said fraud and identify theft was not always done for financial
reasons. Sometimes people wanted to start again with a new identity.
Identity cards could potentially increase fraudulent behavior, she warned.
In June, the British government introduced legislation for national
identity cards, saying they would counter terrorism, crime and illegal
immigration. But critics say the scheme is expensive, unnecessary and
intrusive.
"What fraudsters know about is human nature," Finch said. "And they adapt
to things like the Internet which provides an absolutely fantastic base to
access personal information."
She also has doubts about chip and pin technology which allows consumers
to punch in a personal number rather than use a signature for credit and
debit card purchases.
Instead of watching an individual punch in the code and stealing the card,
criminals are snatching credit card application forms and getting new cards
and numbers, she added.
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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
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-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
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