What is being done about Identity Theft?

What is being done?

Identity theft and fraud is an important and growing problem. It affects individuals, government departments and private sector organisations, and often forms part of more serious criminal operations such as people trafficking and drug smuggling.

The 2002 Cabinet Office Study, which covered the use of false identities and the theft of other people's identities, estimated that crime facilitated by identity fraud cost the UK £1.3 billion per annum.

The Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee has completed a one-off exercise to update the Cabinet Office estimate for the purpose of establishing trends in the cost of identity fraud over the past three years. The latest estimate is that identity fraud costs the UK economy £1.7 billion. As with the previous study, it represents a best estimate of the scale of the problem. Click here for a detailed breakdown of the new estimate.

What is being done about Identity Theft in the UK?

The Home Office, in collaboration with other government departments and private sector organisations, has set up the Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee to lead a cross public/private sector work programme to tackle identity theft and identity fraud. The programme co-ordinates existing activity in the public and private sectors and identifies new projects and initiatives to reduce identity crime.

Click here for a progress report on the activities of the Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee and Identity Fraud Forum.

Aligning penalties - Many organisations use passports and driving licences to help establish identity. The maximum fine of £2,500 was no longer a credible penalty for fraudulently obtaining a driving licence given the level of fraud that it can be used to perpetrate. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 changed the law to align the penalty for fraudulently obtaining a driving licence with that for fraudulently obtaining a passport and made these offences arrestable. Obtaining either document fraudulently now incurs a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.
New criminal offences - Organised criminals often use false identity documents. The Identity Cards Act 2006 created new criminal offences of being in possession or of controlling false identity documents, including genuine documents that have been improperly obtained or were issued to another person, without reasonable cause. These offences came into force on 7 June 2006 and cover both UK and foreign documents.
Developing and sharing good practice - The Home Office, UK Passport Service, and DVLA worked closely with APACS, FLA and CIFAS to support their project to produce Identity Fraud - The UK Manual. This manual, launched in June 2003, includes examples of known security features from UK passports and driving licences and provides guidance to organisations to help spot forgeries.
Identity and Passport Service (IPS) initiatives - IPS has deployed a database of lost and stolen passports that is being shared with border authorities and police worldwide to help prevent identity fraud.
Joint working - IPS and DVLA continue to work closely together to establish higher standards of identity checking before they issue passports and driving licences.
The National Identity Scheme - The Government’s decision to introduce a National Identity Scheme was announced in the Queen’s Speech on 17 May 2005.
The Identity Cards Act 2006 has now passed all of its Parliamentary stages and received Royal Assent on 30 March 2006. The Identity and Passport Service is responsible for introducing a National Identity Scheme that will provide people with a highly-secure means of protecting their identity.
Identity theft and identity fraud are often used very loosely to describe any situation in which personal details are used to support criminal activity. The Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee has agreed a set of overarching definitions to clarify these terms. Click here to view the identity crime definitions. Corporate identity crime definitions have also been developed and can be viewed here.
On 7 September 2005, Home Office Minister Andy Burnham launched an awareness campaign to advise the public on how to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft and fraud, and what action to take if already a victim. Click to download a pdf of the leaflet and poster.